


Another Year, and Then Forever

by CrimsonDevola



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Developing Relationship, First Kiss, Love Confessions, M/M, Older Man/Younger Man, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Precious Peter Parker, Romantic Fluff, Slow Build, Sweet, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-05-20 12:45:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14894883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrimsonDevola/pseuds/CrimsonDevola
Summary: Peter had been in love with his hero since long before he could understand what love was. Now life had brought them closer than ever. Peter agreed with Mr. Stark to take one step at a time, setting up their waiting period to see what exactly was blooming between them.





	1. A Deal

**Author's Note:**

> I love Starker so much and need some sweetness about them. So I decided to write this story.  
> I hope you enjoy it :)
> 
> **Avengers: Infinity War never happened in this story.

 

 

“Mr. Stark, I… I love you.”

After all this time, Peter finally said it.

This wasn’t even the right moment to confess his feeling. Mr. Stark was injured, lying in hospital bed, looking tired with bandages covered his skin here and there. Peter didn’t know why he said it or where his courage came from. Maybe there was not an ounce of courage around here at all, because he was scared as hell right now. He had just risked the chance to be able to look the man he admired so much in the eye again.

Maybe it’s the after effect of almost losing his mentor in the accident that caused Peter to burst out. The desperate thought that he might lose his last chance if he got there too late. Whatever it was, he had already said the words and he would not take it back. If Mr. Stark just couldn’t stand this kind of nonsense and didn’t want to see Peter’s face ever again. He could do nothing but accepted it.

Peter held his breath, his heart hammering inside while waiting for some answer. Eyes firmly fixed on Mr. Stark, even though it made his chest hurt so much to sit here beside his bed and see the state his mentor was in. Peter really wished he could give him his healing factor, so Mr. Stark would be up and get out of this place sooner.

The room had gone quiet for six minutes and twenty two seconds. Yes, Peter was counting. Mr. Stark just constantly drilled his gaze into Peter without other response. It wasn’t a good sign. Silence was worse than verbal rejection. Peter’s face fell, his head hung low. He abruptly rushed to his feet and ran out.

Once outside, Peter leaned against the wall, sniffing a little. No, he would not cry. He would not.

 

*

 

_‘Hey Peter, that cute little girl at school who gave you cookies, is she your girlfriend?’_

_‘What? No! I don’t have a girlfriend aunt May. I don’t want a girlfriend. I will marry Iron Man!’_

Peter remembered himself saying that when he was eight. Aunt May was laughing so hard she fell off the couch. Not until he grew up a few more years later that he realized how ridiculous it sounded. He begged his aunt not to tell anyone about his childish crush and she gave him her promise.

His crush, though it was absolutely childish, it hadn’t faded with time. Otherwise, it still remained, growing, settling itself as a permanent resident in his heart.

The first time little Peter saw Iron Man on TV, he was completely in awe, thinking that was the coolest robot he had ever seen. Then he learned Iron Man was really a man, and that man was Tony Stark.

Peter fell head first for the genius. The naive little boy claimed his feeling as love. Aunt May didn’t mind, only saw it as a normal hero worship. She would occasionally bring him stuff with Iron Man printed on it to make him squeal in delight.

Maybe it’s just that, a normal admiration. Maybe it’s love. Maybe it’s nothing at all.

He wasn’t sure at that time, still too young to be able to understand what it meant. But if he was being honest with himself, the way he stared in amazement every time he saw Mr. Stark, even if it’s just a blurry photo on some gossip magazine. His dream at night always involved with Iron Man saving him from danger. If that wasn’t how someone falling in love, then he didn’t know what was.

And after Iron Man really saved Peter’s life from the attack at Stark Expo. Mr. Stark had become the center of Peter’s universe since then.

For years, Peter had admired Mr. Stark from afar, reading every article about him, sending emails and letters to Stark Industries to declare how much he marveled at Mr. Stark’s works and creations, adding his own opinion about the latest paper Mr. Stark had published. Peter did that, even though he knew none of his words reached the man. It must be lost somewhere among tons of fan-mails from all over the world.

He had never thought he would have a chance to meet Mr. Stark in person. His whole existent had been spinning upside down as he walked into his apartment one day, and Mr. Stark was there talking with Aunt May.

Since that fateful moment, Peter had felt like he was living in a dream.

He just hoped his dream wouldn’t end so soon.

 

*

 

“Mister, are you alright?”

Peter startled at the question, losing his way deep inside his own head. He looked up to see a nurse staring at him.

“Oh…umm…yeah…I’m alright.”

“You’re crying. Do you need some help?”

“What?” Peter wiped his face. There were tears. So, okay, his effort not to cry failed. “No, no, I’m really alright.”

She looked at him with concern before went into Mr. Stark room. Peter followed her, it must be time for the routine check. He silently watched the nurse measure Mr. Stark’s vital signs and write it down on the chart. It didn’t take long, and she left after she finished. Leaving Peter there, standing awkwardly in the room not knowing what to do. Mr. Stark’s gaze shifted to him.

“Come here, kid.”

He called, gesturing at the chair Peter sat on earlier. Peter’s heart skipped a beat. He took a deep breath, preparing for anything that was about to come.

When he sat down again, Mr. Stark reached out his hand to pat Peter’s head gently.

“You know, it’s rather rude, saying that and ran away.”

“Oh…I…I…I’m sorry.” He stuttered, his face aflame.

“However, I appreciate your feeling, Peter.” Mr. Stark gave him a small smile. “But I can’t think clearly right now. Too much drugs in my system messing with my brain. Can you wait a few hours till I wake up? We’ll talk after that.”

He nodded. “I’ll stay here, won’t be going anywhere. Please rest as long as you want.”

Mr. Stark closed his eyes, falling fast asleep. Peter waited for a while until he was sure the man had really gone deep under the effect of medicines. He took Mr. Stark’s hand in his, squeezed it lightly. In so many occasions this hand had supported Peter, helping his ass out of any troubles he got himself in. Now it’s time to be the support hands for the man he loved.

 

Peter was sitting in his classroom when the news popped up on his phone, reporting the unexpected explosion as Iron Man went inside the building suspected of being one of HYDRA base. Three people were trapped under the collapsed building, including Iron Man.

Peter left school at full speed, changing into Spider suit and headed straight to the scene of the accident. He helped the rescue team digging the debris and they appreciated his aid. Because it’s faster to have someone who could lift large pieces of concrete with only bare hands.

They found the two dead bodies first. Peter almost cried when they finally found Mr. Stark and brought him out. He was so scared that Mr. Stark might not make it out alive and he would lose him forever. As Peter still remembered the painful feeling of being trapped beneath the rubble. Mr. Stark survived because his Iron Man armor had taken most of the impact and saved his life.

He was injured, just minor wounds. Nothing severe, but he had been hurt nonetheless, and that hurt Peter too.

Peter’s heart ached terribly. Seeing Mr. Stark like this, hurt and alone. Peter hated being helpless, witnessing what happened in front of him but was unable to do anything to ease his mentor’s pain. Mr. Stark was deeply upset since the Avengers had broken apart. He lost people he cared about. People whom he considered as friends and family. The handful of team he still had left was now busy dealing with their own problems, leaving Mr. Stark all alone by himself.

Mr. Rhodes was away on military duty. Vision had gone traveling somewhere to meet with his witch girlfriend. Even Ms. Potts was also doing Stark Industries business on the other side of the world. Peter told her about what happened. She immediately canceled the rest of the trip and was now on her way back here. But the flight still took hours.

It was only Peter who insisted on wandering around. Latching onto every chance he could get to stay close and keep his watchful eyes on his mentor.

Peter had been wondering. Did anyone of them notice? Or he was the only person seeing how Mr. Stark had been slowly falling apart, bit by bit, guilt and loneliness were eating the man up inside.

If things continued this way, before anyone realized what was going on, there would be no remnant of Mr. Stark left to mend.

But Peter would not let that happen. He vowed to do his best keeping his mentor whole.

 

 

******************************

 

 

The chance for them to talk had never occurred though. Mr. Stark didn’t wake until Ms. Potts had arrived. Peter respectfully left the couple to their private moment.

A couple of days later, Mr. Stark was out of the hospital. Everything went back into the way it used to be. Peter lived on, trying to balance between his ordinary school life and occasionally patrolling the neighborhood as Spider-Man. Mr. Stark must be busy with whatever he was doing as always. The topic about his confession seemed to be dropped. Maybe it had already been forgotten. Or maybe Mr. Stark just didn’t want to talk about it again.

Whatever the reason was, it’s alright. Peter was happy with his one-sided feeling. Mr. Stark still texted him, sometimes called him, and if he had enough free time, he would tell Peter to come to meet him. They got along comfortably through chatting science and making something cool in his mentor’s workshop. It was more than Peter had ever wished for.

 

*

 

Until one day.

 

_‘Come down, kid. I’m outside your apartment.’_

Peter’s eyes went wild at the message. He scrambled out of bed, peeping through the window and saw a flashy sports car parking in front of the building. He hurriedly got dress, briefly checking himself in the mirror to make sure he was presentable.

Peter got in the car in less than a minute later, didn’t like to keep his mentor waiting anyway.

“Good evening! Mr. Stark, what brings you here? Wanna show me a new suit or something?”

After the question, he was a little bit embarrassed at the uncontrollable excitement in his own voice, it sounded very much like the welcome yips of an excited puppy when its owner came back home.

“Just want to see you.”

Mr. Stark said with a charming smile of his, looking handsome as always in his stylish sunglasses. Peter raised his eyebrows up high, cheeks growing hotter.

The car drove off. Peter didn’t even know where they were going, but he didn’t care either. At this moment, Mr. Stark could take him to the end of the world and he would still willingly follow.

“So… kid, how was your day?”

Here came the chance for Peter to tell his mentor all about the insignificant nonsenses in a teenager daily routine. He rambled happily on and on, about school and his friends, about his classmate being a jerk, about some movie he wanted to watch, even about what he thought of his aunt’s new haircut.

Not until half an hour later that Peter had just realized he was the one doing all the talking. Mr. Stark only gave a small nod here and there, or smiled a little to let Peter know he was still listening.

Peter trailed off, didn’t need his spider sense to know there’s something wrong. He glanced at Mr. Stark and then at the view outside. They were already out of town. The street was less swamped with cars, quieter, more peaceful. From the way he drove, it seemed they had no real destination. Mr. Stark was driving aimlessly.

“Uhmm... Mr. Stark… are you alright?”

Peter asked, but got no answer in return. His mentor just cast him a look, his face became stoic like he was seriously considering something. Peter was slightly confused. Wondering that maybe he just talking too much to the point that Mr. Stark lost for words to scold him this time.

As the silence went on, he started fidgeting with the hem of his sweater nervously. Mr. Stark sighed, finally parked his car on the side of the road somewhere.

“Kid...”

He took his sunglasses off and turned to Peter. “I think it’s time we talk.”

“Talk a…about what?”

“The thing you told me that day, when I was in the hospital.”

“Oh…”

Panic suddenly rose up inside Peter. So Mr. Stark didn’t forget about that. Was this why he seemed to be so strange today?

“I…I…uhm…actually, we don’t need a talk. You know, just…just…”

Peter made a desperate hand gesture. Before he could stop himself, his nerve got the better of him again and he ranted.

“You don’t have to say anything. I need no answer for what I said. I know it’s kind of awkward hearing that from a kid like me. I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable. I should suggest you to forget about it. But no… I…I don’t want you to forget, really want you to always remember you’re important to me. That’s the point of confessing to someone, right? I…I promise I won’t bother you with my feeling, won’t even talk about it again. I’m okay with where I am now, as your intern and nothing more. I...uhh…sorry. Okay, I’m talking too much right now. Just don’t know how to shut myself up. Oh god, this is embarrassing.”

Peter slapped a hand over his mouth to halt his endless rambling. His face burning like it was about to explode, he was sure it must become bright red by now.

Mr. Stark was staring at him all the time, looking amused. There’s something in those brown eyes that was soft and tender in a way Peter had never seen before. 

“You told me you love me. But you don’t want to listen to what I think about that?”

“It… It’s not like I don’t want to listen. It’s just… I don’t want to make it hard for you. I tell you because I want you to always know that you’re loved. After all you’ve been through, I want you to remember that no matter what, I won’t leave like others did. I’ll always stay, always choose Iron Man’s side.”

Peter tried to meet his mentor’s eyes to make it clear that he really meant what he said. But he was too embarrassed and unable to hold his gaze longer than a second.

“That’s touching.” Mr. Stark smiled. “Thanks, kid. It means so much to me.”

Peter was happy hearing that. However, he shifted his eyes back to his own hands, which clenched together tightly on his lap.

“So…that’s all. We should have let the topic drop. You and Ms. Potts are already engaged. Saying I love you at a moment like this was inappropriate. But I had to tell you before you get married. Because I felt bad enough confessing to someone’s fiancé, I couldn’t do that to someone’s husband. So, there’s nothing else to talk about us. We’ll leave it here. The only thing we should talk about is how you plan your wedding. It’s going to happen any time soon, isn’t it?”

Mr. Stark leaned back against his seat, sighing heavily.

“It won’t happen, kid. My wedding… it wasn’t gonna happen. Pepper and I just broke up.”

“What?”

Peter gaped in shock. “Was it… was it because of me?”

“Oh no.” He shook his head. “No Peter. You have no hand in this matter. It’s something Pepper and I had been discussing for all these past few months. We, as a couple, it just didn’t work for us. Or to say it honestly, Pepper had had enough of my shit and decided it’s time to quit.”

Peter stared at him, it’s obvious now that Mr. Stark was very upset and heartbroken. He looked like he was about to cry. He reached out for Peter, pulled him in closer and leaned forward to rest his forehead on Peter’s shoulder.

“She deserves someone who can give her a normal happy life, someone who doesn’t endanger himself with hero's duty all the time. She said she couldn’t stand seeing me being hurt anymore. Pepper wanted me to retire, hiding behind the curtain and let the other Avengers do all the risky jobs. But I couldn’t do that. I also didn’t want things to end this way. It didn’t matter what I wanted though. I shouldn’t just be selfish. I should have let her go, so that’s what I did.”

Peter bit down on his bottom lip to stop it from quivering as he listened to his mentor. He wrapped his arms around Mr. Stark, trying to offer some comfort. But he was so sad that his mentor was sad. Peter’s breath became shakier, and in the next moment, he was sobbing hard.

“Hey…hey…kid. Don’t cry.”

Mr. Stark awkwardly wiped Peter’s tears away with his shirtsleeve.

“Shhh…shhh…it’s alright kid. Please don’t cry.” He ran a hand up and down Peter’s back in a soothing manner. Peter sniffed loudly. The strange turn of situation made Mr. Stark chuckle and huff in amusement.

“Peter, why are you crying? I’m the one getting dumped here. I should have cried, not you.”

“I…I can’t help it…I’m…sorry.”

“Aren’t you happy that I’m single again?”

“What?” Peter immediately looked up. “No! Mr. Stark, how could I be happy with your loss?”

“Okay, kid, listens.” The man let out more sigh. “In this case, I lost nothing. Pepper will still be around as my friend and personal assistant. It’s not a loss, just small change in detail.”

“You can’t fool me. I know you don’t want more friend. You want someone who loves you, who understands you and will always be with you no matter what.”

“Since when that a kid knows myself better than me.” He scoffed. Shaking his head. Fondness was written all over his face as he stared at Peter. “Maybe that’s why I’m here. I want to set up a deal with you.”

“A deal?”

“Yeah, a deal. But before we come to that. I need to be sure about your feeling first, Peter. What do you mean when you said you love me? I don’t want to risk assuming things and be wrong. It could be purely platonic for all I know. Maybe you just love me like you love your aunt or your friends.”

Peter knew the answer for that question, as he asked himself the same thing often enough to be able to say it out loud with no hesitation.

“Mr. Stark, I love you as in how much a human being could love another. As in truly, madly, deeply. As in the head over heels kind that makes my heart beat like crazy. I know it might sound boring to you. Because you must have heard people tell you this all the time. But it’s really how I feel about you.”

“Actually, it’s not boring. Quite the opposite, it’s the cutest things I’ve ever heard.” He wiped the trail of wetness on Peter’s cheeks with his thumb.

“When people confessed their heart in front of me, most of it always felt like they declared their love to my wealth, not to me. And sometimes it was just _‘Oh Tony I fucking love you and would like you to fuck me senseless right now’_.”

His mentor smirked, seemed to notice the way the shade of red on Peter’s face darkened.

“They didn’t directly say it out loud like that. But it was the only meaning I could see in their eyes. I was just a good fuck or a good fortune for them.”

“Mr. Stark… that… that was really bad.”

“Yes, it was. But you, Pete, you’re so different. That’s why I want to try something new with you, to see how it’s gonna work for us. But… the only problem is you’re too young. And I can’t be sure that you really understand what you’re talking about.”

“I know you would say that.” He huffed and frowned. It hurt, hearing the man he loved saying right to his face that he didn’t believe Peter’s feeling was true.

“Mr. Stark, before I confessed my feeling to you, I already spent a whole year thinking about it. I’ve thought about it since the first time we met. I’m certain with myself. I may be young but I know my own heart and I know what love is.”

“I’m not a role model boyfriend, kid. I could be the worst decision you would have ever made. Just ask Pepper, she knew better than anyone what a stubborn ass I could be.”

“I’m not uninformed about your reputation. I read everything people wrote about you. But I think you forget to have some faith in yourself. You could be the best decision I’ve ever made too.”

To prove his point, Peter shyly laid his hand on top of his mentor’s. The man accepted it, entwined their fingers together.

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to make you happy, Pete.”

“It’s alright. I expect nothing from you. And I must say, I also want to make you happy as well, Mr. Stark. But I’m an optimistic person. I believe I can do it.”

Mr. Stark was dumbfounded by his overconfident statement. Peter gave him his best smile. In hope it would hit him right at his soft spot.

“Jesus, you’re so adorable.”

The man muttered under his breath, he looked away, clenched and unclenched his hold around Peter’s hand several times, seemed to have a war within himself. In the end, Peter could tell he gave in to whatever it was in his mind. Mr. Stark brought Peter’s hand to his lips and pressed a firm kiss on the back of it. Peter’s heart fluttered, he could melt into a puddle just by that one simple touch.

“So… this is it? We’re something now?” He eagerly asked.

“No, kid. Not yet. Now it’s time for our deal. I want you to wait another year before we decide what our relationship should be.”

“What??”

“Don’t whine, just listen to me first.” He gave Peter a pointed look. “Did you forget that you’re only sixteen? You’re still a minor. At least we have to wait until you turn seventeen. I don’t want legal problem to come between us and make things harder than they already are.”

“Idon’t care about the law. I already waited a whole year. Don’t wanna wait any longer.” Peter couldn’t help whining anyway. Even though he knew Mr. Stark was right, it’s still cruel to place the thing he needed the most down in front of him then told him he would not allow to have it yet.

“Just one more year, Peter. It will be worth the wait. Okay?”

“What else I can say to that? There’s no other choice anyway.” He grumbled before grudgingly nodded. “Alright.”

“That’s it, good boy.”

Peter almost winced at the praise. He stared incredulously at his mentor, wondering did he even realize what his words did to Peter.

“Then kid, we have to set up some rules.”

Mr. Stark kissed Peter’s hand one more time before putting it down on Peter’s lap. He sat up properly on his seat, bringing back the distance between them.

“Rule number one, no touching until you’re legal.”

“Oh my god…” Peter wanted to whine as loudly as possible. “Are you tormenting me?”

“Peter, you should know I’m also tormenting myself in the process.” He sighed. “Rule number two, we keep everything as a secret for now. And the most important part of our deal, rule number three, I want you to think even more about this, spending these months carefully consider every choice you have. Don’t rush things. Take it slow. Step back when you hesitate and never let me do anything you don’t want.”

“I appreciated that you’re concerned about me. But I don’t understand why it’s so hard for adults like you to believe that kids like me are more than capable of knowing exactly what they want.” Peter argued, crossed his arms in annoyance.

“Because I was once like you are now, young and reckless. I made so many mistakes, regretted so many things. I learned it the hard way that adults could be wrong, but they also could be right. I don’t want you to do the same mistake, Pete. It will crush me too, if one day you regret this.”

Peter was taken aback by what he heard. How could he regret loving the great Tony Stark? He didn’t quite get that. But no matter how much his stubborn side wanted to protest, he respected his mentor, knowing he only wanted the best for Peter. So, he took his words to heart.

He made a promise to himself that he would seriously think this over. Because Peter, too, didn’t want them to be just a mistake, didn’t want things to go wrong between them.

“Alright, Mr. Stark, I accept our rules.”

“I know you’re a smart boy.” He smiled. “I’ll make it clear, Pete. If it isn’t against our rules, you can do anything you want. If you want to try dating someone else, just do it. I don’t mind that. I’ll stay in your friend zone until the year ends. And if you change your mind about us, you can tell me. We will always be friends if not anything else, no hard feelings.”

“You too, Mr. Stark. If you change your mind, you have to let me know too. I already told you I’m okay with where I am now. I’ll be okay with wherever you want me to be.”

Peter reached out a hand, wiggled his little finger. “So, deal?”

Mr. Stark entwined Peter’s finger with his own. “Deal.”

They smiled at each other.

 

 

******************************

 

   


	2. Changes

 

 

_'Hey baby, are you at school?’_

A message popped up on Peter’s phone. He quickly grabbed it and typed his reply.

_‘Yes, I’m waiting for my decathlon team meeting to begin. Are you back from London yet?’_

_‘Just arrived at the airport ten minutes ago. I’m on my way back home.’_

_'That’s great! I miss you.’_

_‘Miss you too.’_

Peter beamed happily at the words. He sent Tony a big red heart emoji and received one back in return.

He looked up from the screen with a broad smile on his face. From across the table, Ned and Michelle were giving him their curious stares.

“You’re smiling like an idiot. Who are you chatting with?” Michelle asked.

“My mentor.”

He mumbled, deliberately avoided the name. Unfortunately, much to his dismay, Ned’s eyes lit up in excitement, he spoke it out loud anyway.

“Cool! You’re chatting with Tony Stark? Can I say hi to him?”

The rest of the team turned their attention to Peter. He internally groaned, knowing what was about to come. Flash Thompson would never miss an opportunity to give Peter a hard time.

“Penis Parker, are you awake? You seemed to be in a pitiful daydream. Fantasizing about someone you’ll never have a chance to meet.”

Except for Ned and Michelle, the other laughed. Peter paid them no mind, just put his phone back in his pocket and opened the book in front of him to read it while waiting for their teacher.

“Shut up Flash. Peter really know Tony Stark.”

Ned tried to defend him. But every time he did that, it only made things worse. Peter shook his head, signaling his friend to stop. He was afraid that Ned would slip out something he shouldn’t say.

“He’s got Stark internship. And he isn’t a common intern who just works around in his company. Peter even has the privilege to work with Mr. Stark in his personal lab.”

Ned didn’t heed the warning and went on boasting. Peter sighed, buried his face in his hands.

“Enough Ned.” He tiredly told his friend.

“Yes, enough with your lies, Penis.” Flash sneered. “You know, I’m sick of this shit. We’re so sick of your shit. You and Spider-Man are friends, you know Tony Stark in person, you meet the Avengers, blah blah blah…” He rolled his eyes. “We understand that you’re in too deep and it’s scary to confess the truth in front of everyone. But you’ll have to come out of it eventually. Just apologize and get it over with.”

The team members simultaneously nodded to show that they shared the same thought as Flash. Peter ignored it all. If people believed he lied, he could do nothing about that. By the way, Flash sounded very reasonable. It wasn’t a surprise everyone agreed with him.    

“He isn’t lying!”

Ned almost yelled, obviously offended by those words which only they both knew it wasn’t true. Peter tried to send his friend a pleading stare, begged him to just stop and let this go.

“Ned… Please.”

“Why you’re so sure he lied? Maybe it’s true.” Michelle spoke up.

Flash scoffed. “Don’t be silly. Just think about this. Why would Tony Stark waste his precious time with some anonymous high school loser?”

_Oh…that’s fucking hurt._

Peter gritted his teeth. But he still did his best to disregard every comment. It didn’t matter what a jerk classmate thought about him.

He sighed in relief when their teacher walked into the room. Everyone automatically shut their mouths and the quarrel ended. God, high school life wasn’t fun at all.

 

 

******************************

 

 

After a long boring day, it’s time for enjoyable thing. Peter was in his Spider suit, hiding on the rooftop of an old factory, observing a suspicious interaction on the street below.

“Hey Karen, do you think I can take them down?”

“They are armed with heavy weapons. I suggest activating instant kill for higher chance to succeed.”

“That’s not a good idea.”

Down there, four men were talking. He was able to hear them but they spoke in a language he couldn’t understand. There was a truck, and when one of them opened its back door to show the other what was inside. Peter could see a glimpse of some automatic firearms.

“You catch that Karen? Please send the footage to Tony.”

“Okay, Peter.”

Realized there was nothing he could do without risking too much. He carefully backed away from his spot. Those men didn’t even notice the uninvited party spying on them. Once he was far enough in a safety range, he used his web shooters to swing around the building and headed back home.

Peter was rather proud of himself. He could still feel the childish impulse urging him to jump down there and kick some asses. But he knew better now not to do that. He didn’t want to disappoint his mentor with immature behavior ever again.

As a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, he only confronted minor crimes. He knew his own limit. If he found a trace led to the thing which seemed to be bigger than he could handle, he would inform Tony, then retreated to a support role and let adults do their job.

Experiences had taught him he couldn’t be a hero just by showing off. Being a hero meant doing the right thing.

 

 

Peter crawled into his bedroom through the window and took his mask off. Aunt May was in there, sat on his bed waiting for him with a worry expression. She stood up and brought him into a tight hug when he dropped down from the ceiling.

“Peter, I almost have a heart attack every time I came back home to find your room empty.

“Didn’t you see the note I left on the fridge?”

“I saw it. Couldn’t help freaking out anyway. What did you get yourself into this time?”

“Nothing dangerous. Just checking around.”

“I don’t like this Peter. What if you get hurt?”

She looked him up and down for an injury.

“I’m okay, May. We already had a talk about this. I promise I’ll be careful.” He smiled, spun around showing her his suit. “And look, Mr. Stark made this suit for me. It has many hi-tech programs installed into it, an A.I. system to aid me, even a built-in parachute. I’ll be alright in this. So, no need to worry.”

Peter’s smile wavered as his aunt only frowned deeper. She placed both hands on her hip.

“I dislike that man even more for giving you dangerous toys. You’re only a sixteen-year-old boy. He should have given you video game, not some costume to go out and fight bad guys.” She angrily said.

“May… I…”

“Peter...” She cut him off, voice turned softer, pleading. “Can’t you just… be a normal boy? Stay away from harm.”

“How can I be normal with all these power in me?” Peter stepped back, jumped to the ceiling and faced his aunt by standing upside down.

“May… I know you worry about me. But I want to be Spider-Man, want to do what I can to help people. And one day when I’m ready, I want to join the Avengers, fight alongside them. I really needed this.”

He grinned cheekily, trying to lift up the mood. “You can rest assured. I won’t get hurt that easily. You saw what I could do on the news and YouTube, right? With my cool abilities, I’m destined to be the coolest hero ever. But of course, still second to Iron Man. Mr. Stark will always be the best.”

May sighed loudly and shook her head in defeat.

“You obsessed puppy. It’s impossible to talk you out of this when all you see is the chance to be on the same page as your hero. I only let you do this because it makes you happy. But I can’t lose you too, you need to keep that in mind, Peter.”

“Yeah…I know. I’ll be very very careful. I promise.”

She smiled haft-heartedly and leaned in to place a kiss on Peter’s cheek.

“Please tell your precious Mr. Stark that next time I see him, I’ll kick his rich ass real hard.” She dropped a threat and walked out of his room.

Peter chuckled, flipped down from the ceiling. He changed into a comfy ‘I survived my trip to NYC’ T-shirt and a Hello Kitty pink pants that Tony bought for him after the ferry incident. Even though the clothes held the sour memory of Peter’s mistake, somehow it had become dear to him.

He flopped down on his bed and let out a long sigh. May still couldn’t cope well with the truth that her nephew was Spider-Man. He didn’t intend to tell her this soon. It was an accident she caught him in his Spider suit that day, when Tony gave it back to him after the fight with Vulture. It left him no choice. He had to reveal his secret identity.

May was more than shocked. She freaked out, and he spent hours calming her down. He spent days to explain all that happened to him, what he had done after he got the power, what he could do with it, and his expected future as a member of the Avengers.

She liked none of it and was worried sick that he would get hurt every time he went out patrolling. He knew, no matter what, she would always be worried.

It must be hard for her to accept all this weird reality. Sometimes he himself still struggled to accept it as well.

As a sixteen-year-old, he was still young, but he had already encountered so many changes in this short period of life. As a small child, one day he still had parents, the next day they were gone. And when he grew up, one day he was still a normal boy, the next day he woke up to the fact that he wasn’t anymore.

Peter closed his eyes and thought about Tony. Before all this, the only place where he could talk to Tony Stark was in his dream. Then one day the man strolled into his reality and everything around him changed again.

The latest change which Peter liked the most, was that now they weren’t Mr. Stark and kid anymore. Mr. Stark had become Tony for him. And he still couldn’t stop blushing every time Tony called him baby.

Peter smiled, he had to talk to his mentor. He jumped to his feet and walked out to find something to eat. He grabbed his favorite ice cream from the fridge and sat down on the dining table. He video called Tony while eating.

The image showed up with Tony in the garage, doing something with one of his vintage car collections.

“Hi baby.” Tony said, he wiped the grease off his hands and turned his full attention to Peter.

“Tony, did you receive my footage?”

“Yes. The FBI already reviewed it. They confirm those weapons are identical with the ones that have been mysteriously stolen from the government. They’ll set up a team to handle this. You can leave this case to them.”

“Okay.” Peter nodded. “It doesn’t fair. Why they always have got the fun part? I can only gather information. But they kicking asses.” He stated his displeasure.

Tony laughed. “Chasing arms dealers isn’t that fun, baby. It’s more of a pain in the ass.”

Peter shrugged, whatever, he would let Tony decide which case he could or could not get involved in.

“You did well Pete. I’m so proud of you.”

Peter preened at that. He stuffed a large spoonful of ice cream into his mouth to keep from smiling too much. It was a moment when Tony praised him like this that assured him he did the right thing.

Dropping the topic, he looked with interest at the car Tony was tending. He asked.

“Can I drive that car?”

“Not this one baby. She’s delicate. But you can try the other.” He gestured at his sports car. “It’s easier to fix if you crash into something.”

“I may not be a skilled driver, but I’m not that clumsy.” He pouted.

“An unskilled driver is a clumsy driver.” Tony replied, eyeing Peter as he devoured another spoonful. “That ice cream, is it what I think it is?”

“Of course!” Peter grinned. “Stark Raving Hazelnuts. What else do you think I would like to eat?”

“You like it because of the flavor or because they named it after me?”

“Definitely, because of the name. I just like licking thing that’s labeled as Stark.”

Peter teased him by licking and sucking his ice cream stained finger obscenely.

“You little shit.” Tony cursed. “I need to go before I start doubting my morality. Bye.”

He hung up real quick, leaving Peter to laugh joyfully.

Peter tried to suppress his laugh when May walked in and raised her eyebrows at him.

“Who are you talking with?”

“Just my friend.”

“You seem happy.”

“Yeah, I’m so happy. Great things happened to me. Luck is on my side these days.”

Peter gave her a big smile before retreated back to his room with his ice cream. May’s gaze followed him with a doubtful look. After Peter closed his door, he leaned against it, his smile faded and he shuddered.

He should be more careful when flirting with his mentor. If his aunt caught him this time, it wouldn’t be easy to calm her down.

May had already threatened Tony because of the Spider-Man thing. What would she do to Tony if she knew about their _almost_ relationship? He had no problem defended Tony from some space aliens. But wasn’t sure he could protect him from the wrath of his aunt.

 

 

******************************

 

 


	3. Struggle and Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes chapter 3, thank you so much for every kudos and comment :)  
> 

 

 

Peter was wrong to think luck was on his side. Even though his love life seemed to go so well, his school life was a downright misery.

He began his day facing the stern face principal, who chided him for skipping class too often in the past week. He got more detention for his bad habit. It pained him that he had to listen and accept every fault throwing at him without any protest. Peter limped out of the principal’s office with clenched jaw, his good mood, which he woke up with this morning, had disappeared completely.

He really sneaked out of school often, because whenever he saw some breaking news about an incident that he could use his power to help, he had to go out to help. Saving people in need was more important than sitting through class. He could just study all by himself later.

No one should know his true reason. There was nothing he could do other than let the principal and most of the teachers in school deem him as another rebellious kid, let them give him their disappointed stares.

It’s harder than he thought, trying to be a normal student and Spider-Man at the same time.

 

 

After the first class, Peter was zoning out in front of his locker, struggling to pull himself together. Someone suddenly came up behind him. His sense prickled. Without looking, he knew who that was. It must be Flash Thompson and no one else. He could even felt the anger radiating from him. Peter had just corrected his classmate’s wrong answers three times in a row. That would indeed get him into trouble with Flash.

Peter breathed out heavily. He took his book from the locker and closed it. Trying to put on a blank expression before turning to face the jerk.

“Flash, is there anything you want? You’re blocking my way.”

“Don’t act innocent, Penis. Just stop making me look bad in class.”

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I only gave the right answer when the teacher asked me a question. It’s not my fault you failed to give the correct one.”

Flash shoved at him. Peter’s back hit the locker loudly. The noisy hallway went quiet. Students around them stopped whatever they were doing and turned to watch them. Peter hugged his book tightly to his chest. It made him appear as a weak one in front of the overconfident Flash. But he had to keep his hands still or he would lose it and punch that smug face.

“You like showing off, don’t you? Not only a big liar but also an attention seeker, you’re pathetic.” Flash sneered at him.

“I don’t want to argue with you. Can’t you just leave me alone?”

“Leave you alone so you can have a sweet dream about your imaginary mentor. Oh… Penis, you’re really pathetic.”

Peter pushed past him, bumping the other hard with his shoulder. Flash grabbed Peter’s collar, glaring at him, enraged.

Everyone seemed to hold their breath, expecting a fist fight. Peter reminded himself repeatedly that he shouldn’t get into any fight with people who didn’t possess enhanced abilities.

“Okay Flash. I’m sorry. Just let me go.”

He yielded. Which made him sound very much like a coward. Peter resented that but had no other choice. Flash gave him triumphant smile and loosened his grip. Peter quickly stepped away out of his reach. Turning to leave, he met with Ned and Michelle who had just walked into the scene. With one swift glance at him and Flash, they seemed to understand what happened. Ned frowned, Peter took his arms, pulled him out of there before he could say anything.

“Hey Penis! If you’re so desperate to meet Stark. I’ll ask my dad to arrange the meeting for you. His company has a contract with Stark Industries. You know, like the true contract, not a pitiful, dreamed-up one.”

Flash shouted after them. Causing snickers to echo through the hallway.

 

*

 

“Why don’t you teach him some lesson? I’m sure a punch will shut him up.” Ned said angrily.

“I have enough detentions for now. Don’t wanna cause any more troubles.”

“But staying quiet will only make you more of a fun target for the jerk.”

“Ned, fight back will only make me another jerk. Let Flash talk, I don’t care.”

“Just throw all the truth in his face! I can’t wait to see everyone fall real hard on their asses.”

Peter frowned. “No, Ned. How many times do I have to tell you it’s not something to brag about?”

Ned’s shoulder slumped. He looked at Peter with sad expression.

“So… you’ll just let him treat you like that? Let everyone laugh at you?”

Peter nodded. “I have no other choice.”

“You have. But…” He groaned, frustrated. “Peter, if I were you, I would’ve made Flash cry like an infant already.”

“What are you guys talking about?”

Michelle interrupted, startled them out of their conversation. She had followed them in silence and they momentarily forgot she was also there.

“You said it like Peter has some hidden secret.” She narrowed her eyes at them.

Peter and Ned exchanged looks. There was a brief awkward moment in which Peter didn’t know how to respond. But before he could figure out what to say. Michelle just shrugged.

“Whatever, I don’t care about your secret. But Flash shouldn’t do that to you. Maybe I’ll discuss with the other members about expelling him from our team.”

“No, no, please Michelle, don’t do that. It’ll only make Flash hate me even more. Just let this go. It’s nothing.” Peter desperately said.

“Are you sure? What if he won’t stop bothering you?”

“Yes, I’m sure. It couldn’t be worse.”

 

*

 

During the lunch break, the moment someone purposefully poured cold water on his head, Peter realized he was wrong again. Things really could be worse.

“Oh! So sorry! I slipped.” The blonde girl with an empty bottle in her hand said. “But I think you deserve it, Parker. I fucking hate you for what you did to Liz.”

Then she left, a satisfied smile on her face. Ned stared after her, mouth agape, while Peter was still shocked at what happened.

“What’s wrong with her? Hey Peter, Are you alright?”

“Yeah…yeah, alright, just… wet.”

He sighed at his condition. People around glanced at them and muttered something under their breath. Peter abandoned his meal, instantly lost all the appetite. He went to the restroom with Ned followed close behind.

“I don’t like this.” Ned said. “You try so hard to save people. But these oblivious teens only being mean to you.”

“They don’t know the truth. They cannot know. I’m just a loser in everyone’s eyes. It’s better this way if I want to maintain my secret identity.”

“I don’t understand why you’re insisting on keeping it secret. You’re a superhero! Just reveal yourself and take all the glory.”

Peter stopped in his track and sighed. He turned to Ned, placed both hands on his friend’s shoulders.

“Ned, I used to think like that too. But now I know being a hero isn’t that easy, it means a whole bunch of responsibility. What had happened was only on this school ground. I can handle that. But if I reveal myself, the rest of the world will know. I don’t think I’m ready for that big change. I need more time, Ned. I still have a lot to learn.”

His friend stared at him like he had grown a second head.

“You began to speak like those boring adults, dude. Maybe you spent too much time with your mentor.”

Peter gave a brittle laugh. “No, not as much as I wanted to.”

When they entered the restroom, Peter silently thanked that it was empty. He didn’t want to endure another mocking face right now. He groaned as he saw himself in the mirror.

“She shouldn’t do this to you in front of everyone.” Ned said, trying to help Peter dried his wet hair and sweater with a paper towel.

“She’s Liz’s close friend. What do you expect from a girl when some dude hurt her friend’s feeling? Sure enough she would hate me for what I did at the homecoming.”

“You did it for the greater good.”

“Yeah, but she didn’t know that.” Peter threw crumpled paper into a bin. “You should go to class, dude, or you’ll be late. I’ll follow when I look less like a dog that had just run through the rain.”

Ned didn’t seem to want to leave. He cast Peter a worried glance but reluctantly left anyway when Peter ushered him out.

Once he was alone, he hunched over the sink, cursing his fate. He and Ned always had a dream about being popular in school, but exactly not like this.

Things had turned real bad since the homecoming. People had talked about how he rudely running out, leaving his date alone. Now he was well known as an absolute loser who embarrassing Liz in front of the whole party. Liz, the popular girl who was everyone’s beloved. It’s not a surprise people in school disliked him. He couldn’t blame them either because he really hurt Liz’s feeling that day.

And to add more misery on his page, it was that everyone called Peter a liar. His attempt to keep a low profile failed as Ned always slipped out about his mentor and Spider-Man things in front of others. He also couldn’t blame him. Ned was just too excited about having a friend with the superpower. Who wouldn’t want to boast about that? However, Peter couldn’t deny that it put him even deeper into the bad situation.

Now, except for Ned, oh… and Michelle, she’s still friendly with him after everything, no one talked to him anymore. No one considered him as their friend.

Hot tears welled up in his eyes. Peter refused to let it fall. He was stronger than this. He encountered criminals, stood in front of the rogue Avengers, got in a fight with Captain America himself. This was just a stupid problem, another bad time in life he had to go through. It would pass.

Peter took a deep breath before heading out. He was several minutes late for class now. In his hurry, he walked right into someone at the restroom entrance, made that poor one lose balance and fall hard on the floor.

“What the fuck!” The other cursed.

“Oh my god! Sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Peter helped him back to his feet. He was a senior, a big guy on the football team. Peter saw him around school sometimes but he didn’t remember his name.

“What’s your problem? Wanna mess with me?”

The guy yelled at him and roughly push him back into the empty restroom.

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t look at where I was going.”

“You think I’ll believe that? I know what you are, Peter Parker, Midtown’s biggest liar. Looking for more trouble, huh?”

“I’m not…” Peter sighed, he was so tired of all his bad fortunes.

The guy took threatening steps toward him. Peter backed away. He didn’t afraid, just didn’t want the other to get into his personal space. But he was cornered until his back hit the wall.

“What do you want from me? I already apologized. I swear it’s really an accident. I need to go back to class.”

“If you wanna go, beg me, fucker.”

The other smirked. Peter dropped his gaze to the floor, his hands clenched tightly beside him. He wondered, why school had to be a place full of mean people.

“Please…” He said through gritted teeth. “Please let me go.”

Peter flinched when a hand cupped his cheek, forcing him to look up and meet the other’s eyes. He didn’t expect this kind of gesture at all. His hair standing on end when the guy raked his gaze over him from head to toe.

“Such an obedient little boy, Parker. Seeing you up close, I’d just realized you’re quite pretty.”

“What?”

“I like obedient boy. I’ll let you go without a problem, if you agree to be my bed warmer, baby.”

“Don’t call me that!”

Anger boiled up inside him. Only Tony could call him baby. He pushed the guy away and tried to get out of there. But the other grabbed Peter’s shirt, threw him back to his previous spot against the wall. This time forcefully took hold of his wrists and pinned them above Peter’s head.

“Maybe I should demonstrate my special skill first. My ex-boyfriend loved it. I’m sure you’ll love it too.”

“Fuck you! I’ll tell you one last time. Let me go!”

Peter warned, his body shook with rage and he was doing his best to control it. But the other just seemed to be amused by his threat, possibly thinking Peter couldn’t do anything to fight the bigger and taller guy.

“Have you ever been kissed? Hmm…from your reaction, I think I know the answer. Don’t worry baby, I like taming a freaking virgin.”

At that, Peter snapped. He would not tolerate any more of this shit.

“Tame this!”

He punched him square in the face.

 

 

******************************

 

 

As soon as Peter was back at home, he headed straight to his room. He left his bedroom door wide open, didn’t bother to close it. He threw himself on the bed, pulled the cover over his head, hiding from the world. Today was a very bad day, the worst day.

In need of some comfort, he reached for the phone in his pocket and texted his mentor with shaky hands.

_‘Tony, where are you?’_

A reply came instantly.

_‘At a company meeting.’_

Followed by yawning face emoji. Usually, it would make him laugh, but this time it disappointed him. He really needed to hear Tony’s voice right now. But Tony was busy.

_‘Okay. I won’t disturb you then.’_

_‘Anything wrong baby?’_

_‘No, nothing.’_

He dropped the phone carelessly on the mattress as his tears ran down. He stared at his own hand. A hand that had just hurt another person. A person who had no chance against him. He regretted losing himself to anger. The result of it was an unconscious high school boy with bloody broken nose. Just one punch, Peter knocked the senior guy out cold.

He thought he killed him when he stood there, in shock, looking at the prone body. Blood dripped down from the boy’s nose, painted the floor red. The wave of guilt hit him hard. It was the first time he had ever hurt someone out of anger since he got his power.

That guy might be a real asshole. But he was just a normal high school student. He wasn’t some bad guy like Vulture, and obviously didn’t have superpower. Peter shouldn’t use his strength to hurt him just because he made him angry.

 

Peter didn’t know how long he lay there crying in his bed. Until someone knocked at the front door of his apartment, pulled him out of his train of thoughts. He got up with a sigh. Maybe his aunt was back and she forgot her key again.

He wiped tears away from his face with the hem of his sweater. Thinking about an explanation for his red-rimmed eyes while hurried out to open the door. He gasped in surprise as the person behind it wasn’t May.

“Tony…”

“Hi Pete.” The man smiled at him and stepped inside.

“W...why are you here? I thought you’re at the company meeting.”

“I was, but I have to come checking on you.”

“You left the meeting because of me?”

Tony shrugged. “Don’t worry. I’m the boss. I can leave whenever I want.” He looked around Peter’s home. “Where is your aunt?”

“She hasn’t come back yet.”

“You are alone?”

Peter nodded. As that confirmed there was no one seeing them. Tony’s demeanor changed, he dropped his formal posture, took a step closer and put his arm around Peter’s shoulder, guided him to the couch. They sat down beside each other.

“You’re crying.”

Tony said. Peter looked down at his hands, avoiding eyes contact. 

“Now baby, tell me what happened.”

Peter quickly shook his head. “No, nothing happened.”

Tony sighed. “Don’t hide from me, baby. I know something happened and you’re upset.” He gently stroked Peter’s head. “When a teenager asked their adult ‘where are you’ or ‘what are you doing’. It meant there’s something you wanted to talk about. You just checked that I was busy or not. When you thought I had more important things to do than listen to you, you said it’s nothing.”

Peter looked up at him, mouth slightly open. Tony smiled knowingly.

“I did that a lot when I was a young boy. My dad never had time for me. If I said it’s nothing, he believed it’s really nothing. I had to solve all the problems myself. But I’ll never do that to you.”

Peter’s heart beat faster. Something so warm bloomed inside him, slowly chased away all bad feelings.

“I… it’s just a bad day at school. I don’t wanna waste your time with...you know…silly problem.”

“You’ve never been a waste of time, baby boy. It’s ages ago for me but I still remember how tough school life could be. And if it made you cry like this, it’s certainly not silly problem.”

Tears were dripping down his face again. He couldn’t stop it. Tony really cared for him. Even pushed away his work just to come here for him. Peter leaned in and rested his head on Tony’s shoulder. Words left his mouth in babble. He told Tony everything.

 

The pain in Peter’s heart somehow evaporated, in the next moment, he couldn’t remember it used to be there. His heart was flooded with love he had for this man until there’s no room in it for anything else. He smiled through his tears. And when Tony laid his hand on the nape of Peter’s neck, his hand was so warm against Peter’s skin. The warmth flowed through him. A great comfort which made him feel like there was no need to be sad. Tony was here with him and everything was going to be alright.

 

 

******************************

 

 


	4. Under His Wing

 

 

Peter woke up in the dawn with a lighter soul. He felt so much better knowing he had someone to talk to in the moment of weakness. It was a thousand times better when that someone was Tony Stark, the man he loved who patiently listened to him with those intense brown eyes, like Peter’s every word really mattered. Tony cared for him and that was more than enough to give him mental strength to face another day.

 

The rumor about him hitting the poor senior must spread out all over like a plague. He walked into the school hallway and everyone cast him wary glances. Peter sighed. Using violence in school would indeed aggravate his bad reputation.

Ned waited for him at his locker. They bumped their fists together in greeting. Ned had a satisfied smirk on his face, he seemed to be so pleased that Peter finally punched someone who deserved it. Peter smiled back. His best friend understood him. And when he had support from both Ned and the great Tony Stark, nothing else mattered anymore. He headed to class laughing with some silly joke Ned said. Let people hate him all they wanted. They could judge him and he would pay no mind to whatever conclusion they came to.

Peter caressed his own skin at the back of his neck where Tony touched yesterday. He could feel the warmth still linger there, the sense of safety and assurance.

 

*

 

“Mr. Parker, the principal needs you in his office after class.”

His teacher informed him with her stern face, then turned away to begin today’s physics lesson. Peter knew what the principal wanted to discuss, and wondered if they would really expel him this time.

“Congratulations! I hope they finally kick you out.” Flash whispered to him with open delight at seeing Peter in trouble. Peter just rolled his eyes and kept all his focus back on the textbook.

His teacher’s voice faded into the background. He stared at the page in front of him, but his thought was elsewhere, thinking about which area he would go for a patrol this evening. There was a kind, old lady living alone not much far from his home, and she often needed a hand whenever he showed up, asking him if he could relocate heavy furniture for her or fix her ancient radio. Maybe he would visit her again. Doing the real mission was cool, but he also liked helping people around just to see their grateful smiles.

Peter lost in his thought until the end of the class. Everyone gathered their things and was about to get up when the door to their classroom opened. All his classmates gasped loudly in unison. Peter looked up to see what had happened.

He didn’t expect to find Tony standing there in his classroom.

Peter was as surprised as everyone who gawked at the man. Tony took off his sunglasses and looked around before spoke up.

“Who is Flash Thompson?”

“Me! That’s me, sir.” Flash excitedly answered. He jumped to his feet, raising his hand up high.

“Oh, there you are. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Flash was practically shaking with glee. “I’m glad to hear that, sir. You must be here because of my victory in the decathlon national championship. I work very hard for our team. I’m the most effective member.”

“Not about that. I mean, I’ve heard a lot about how you keep bothering my intern.”

Peter almost laughed as Flash’s face fell real fast.

“I think you see now, right? I wouldn’t be here if Peter wasn’t my best intern.”

Flash turned many shades paler.

“You also said your dad has a contract with my company. But his name didn’t even sound familiar to me. I’m sure we’ve never been in the same room. If that contract exists, it takes no effort for me to terminate it. I suggest you be nice to your friends, Mr. Thompson. If I hear even one more word about you being mean to your classmates again, I will do it. And I’ll make sure your dad knows he loses his contract because of your inappropriate behavior. You get that?”

“Yes, sir.” Flash frantically nodded.

“Good.” Tony turned to Peter. “Come with me, buddy. I want to talk to your principal.”

Peter quickly grabbed his things and followed after him. When he looked back over his shoulder, everyone still froze at their spots and hadn’t found out yet how to close their open mouths. It was a very amusing sight to behold.

 

*

 

Tony sat across the principal’s desk, with one leg crossed over the other. Peter liked to see people staring at Tony in awe, as the principal did now. It’s fun to look at their expression when they admired the legendary Tony Stark, who was exuding confidence and authority like no other. And Peter couldn’t help smiling smugly, he was so proud of his place here beside the man. 

“Peter did many great jobs for me. It didn’t feel right to hear that his dedication gave him bad effects at school. I come here on his behalf to assure you he is a responsible young man. He now operates as a trainee in the Avengers support team. It can’t be avoided that we will call him out sometimes for emergency mission. So, I hope you understand and not punish him for his absence.”

Tony explained with his casual, charming smile, covering for Peter’s Spider-Man activities that made him skip his classes.

“Distracting him from school isn’t a good thing to do. I know that.” Tony added. “But Peter is very smart. You don’t have to worry about his future. A position in my company has already been waiting for him.”

The principal agreed with that.

Peter’s detention went right out the window.

 

Peter followed Tony through the hallway. Students in class poked their heads around the door to take a look at the man. Tony smiled and playfully winked at them. All the girls blushed and squealed.

Before Tony left, he told him Happy would be here to take him to the Avengers facility after school. Peter saw him off with elated heart. Tony saved Peter’s ass from misery again, as he always did. And Peter was very grateful for everything Tony had done for him.

 

 

******************************

 

 

At the end of the day, Peter went to the compound to meet Tony. He still felt a bit dizzy from all the attention along with tons of questions everybody threw at him.

Peter whirled around all day. Everyone tried to talk to him from every direction. Ned was thrilled. He held his head high while standing beside Peter, boasting about how he had ‘the coolest friend ever’. Michelle sighed and shook her head, but her smile let him know she was also happy for this good turn of events.

His problems were gone like it had never been there before. The principal called him in again, to ask about the incident in the restroom. Peter said it was self-defense, the senior guy insulted him and threatened him first. And just that, Peter walked away. No further question. The principal accepted his answer without any doubt. It surprised him. Peter was sure it would not have been this easy yesterday.

People used to suspect Peter’s words. But when Tony Stark said so. Who were they to doubt it? Tony’s presence solved everything. The whole school saw Peter in a new light. No one looked down on him anymore. He noticed astonishment in their eyes. Some even stared with unsubtle amount of envies at the lucky boy who was Iron Man’s best intern.

 

Peter dropped himself on the couch in Tony’s private quarters, very appreciated the comfort of privacy after being crowded all day. Too much input and it started to hurt his head.

Tony walked into the room with a smirk as he saw Peter sprawling.

“Have a good day?”

“Of course…” Peter smiled at him.

Tony was in three piece suit, maybe he’d just come back from work at Stark Industries. He took his jacket off. Peter’s eyes followed his hands when he loosened the tie and deliciously rolled up the sleeves. How could that simple motion be so hot? Peter had to bite his lip to stop himself from saying that out loud.

Tony sat down beside him and ruffled Peter’s hair. Peter should complain that he didn’t want to be treated like a little child. But he loved when Tony touched him and would have it in every way.

“Thank you so much for today. You did a lot for me. You didn’t have to.” Peter said.

“I couldn’t let you struggle alone when I was able to help, baby. I told you before, my dad never really gave me a lot of support. I won’t do the same mistake.”

“If you got through everything with no support. It means you’re much stronger than I am.”

“I got through it, yeah, but with irreparable damages in my soul. You don’t have to be neglected to grow up strong, when you can be well taken care of and still growing up strong and happy.”

“I doubt that I’m strong. I can’t even control my anger. It’s a shame that Spider-Man hit people who taunted him.” Peter looked down. “That senior guy didn’t show up at school today. I hurt him real bad. I feel terrible for losing my temper.”

“You said he pinned you against the wall and tried to steal your first kiss.”

Peter nodded.

“Then he deserves it. The little bastard needs a lesson to learn that he shouldn’t have forced anyone against their will.”

“But… Tony, I still feel guilty for hurting the weaker guy. With my enhanced strength, it’s not a fair fight at all. I want to be better. I’m not fit to be an Avenger if I lose control easily.”

Tony gave him his warm smile.

“Pete, if someone is fit to be an Avenger, I’m sure it’s you. You have a kind heart. You also have very good control of yourself. Believe me, I can’t even imagine myself at your age with the power you possess. I would have done so much worse.” He chuckled. “God blessed the world that the spider didn’t bite me. And by the way, the offer still stands. You can tell me whenever you’re ready, ‘cause I’m always ready to hold a press conference and announce you as the official member of the Avengers.”

Peter stared at him the way he would stare up at a god, in amazement, admiration, devotion, and love. Tony was Peter’s god. His every word soothed Peter’s heart. His existence made everything in Peter’s life better.

Peter wanted nothing more than hugging the daylights out of this man right now. He couldn’t resist the urge though. Peter sneaked his hands around Tony’s torso. And he would straddle his lap to press himself fully against Tony’s tempting warmth, if the man didn’t get up so quick, leaving Peter grasping only the empty space.

“Peter… our rule.” Tony warned.

“I know, I know. I just really want this, please…”

Tony sighed and took a couple steps farther, putting more distance between them. Somehow, Peter couldn’t stand that, didn’t want his chance to fly away. He strode after him and placed himself firmly in front of Tony, looking up at him, pleading with his eyes.

“You know… my first kiss is yours. I wouldn’t mind if you take it.”

He didn’t know where this boldness came from. He just wanted to give Tony everything he had.

“You better keep it with you for now.” Tony’s answer contrasted with the way his gaze lingered on Peter’s lips.

“Come on… Tony…”

“Baby, you accepted our rule.”

“Yeah… but… just one time Tony… just one kiss.” He saw it in Tony’s eyes, the man’s determination began to waver. Peter begged. “I want to be pampered. As my adult, you should pamper me. I want you to kiss me now.”

“No one pampers you as much as I do, baby boy. You can have every expensive toy in this place all for yourself. The quinjet, sports car, robot, your suit. If you want anything else, I’ll buy it for you.”

“You’ll give me the whole Avengers compound but not a kiss?” Peter pouted. “I don’t want expensive things. I want you. At least let me hug you for just one minute, please...”

Tony sighed and opened his arms. “Thirty seconds.”

“Yes!”

Peter happily threw himself at the man. Clinging to him and doing what he always dreamt to have a chance to do so. He buried his face in Tony’s neck, inhaling his scent. And god, Tony smelled so good.

Peter’s cheeks burned when he realized he said that out loud. But before he could think of anything else, the next moment he found himself pressed up against the nearest surface. He looked up and met with the intense heat in Tony’s eyes which made his whole body shiver.

“Naughty boy. You can’t say something like that. You can’t…”

Peter wanted to ask why, but he couldn’t form any word. Not when Tony was so close, when those brown eyes were scrutinizing him. He loved Tony’s eyes, loved the color, the intensity, and the depth of it. He could drown in it forever. He wanted to.

Tony leaned in and Peter’s heart skipped a beat. Their foreheads touched. Their breath mingled. But that was all that happened. To his disappointment, Tony didn’t take the kiss Peter was so willing to give.

“Please…” Peter begged.

“Don’t tempt me, baby. Do you know how much I treasure you? I’ve never been afraid of making a mistake. I’ll fix what I did wrong. But for once in my life, I want to do this right, to treat you right.”

Tony gathered Peter back into his arms. The embrace wasn’t romantic or intimate. It was desperate. And that was when Peter became aware of the fact, he wasn’t the only person who needed physical closeness. When was the last time someone gave Tony a hug? After he broke up with Ms. Potts, Peter guessed it’s next to nothing.

Tony, with a broken heart, had no one to care for him, but he still cared for Peter and helped him when he needed. Peter didn’t know what to do to express his gratitude. So, he just hugged Tony back as tight as he could, and loved him even more. 

If Tony’s desperate hug squeezed the air out of Peter until it was a little hard to breathe, Peter didn’t complain. And if they stayed that way much longer than thirty seconds, Peter didn’t complain either. 

   

 

******************************

 

 


	5. In Good Hands

 

 

All alone at home, Peter unpacked the box he purchased online that had just arrived. These silly clothes were so cute he laughed heartily at the sight of it. He couldn’t wait to show it to Ned just to see his friend rolling his eyes. Glancing at the clock, he still had enough time to go to Ned’s place. It’s Sunday afternoon. He would be back in time for a dinner with May and doing his homework afterward.

Peter left a note on the fridge like he always did, in case May was back before him. Putting his things in the backpack and wearing it on his back. He’s ready to go. But when he opened the door, he was taken aback to find Happy standing awkwardly there in front of his apartment.

“Happy?”

“Umm… hi, kid. I’m about to knock.”

“What’s up? What are you doing here? Mr. Stark sent you? I thought he’s out of town today.”

“He’s still at the compound and he didn’t send me. Actually, I came here because I need your help.” Happy put a hand on Peter’s shoulder and ushered him out.

“You…need my help?”

“Yes, I need someone to go to the compound to see if boss is okay.”

“What? Why? What happened to him?”

“I don’t know. He cancels everything on his schedule today and just texts me he wants to be alone.” Happy frowned and glanced at Peter. “It makes me worry. He will be mad at me if I show up when he tells me not to. But I think maybe you can. Boss has a soft spot for you, kid.”

After hearing that, Peter was the one who took Happy’s arm and dragged him out of the building. When they got into the car, Peter grabbed his phone but stopped as he was about to type a message. He wanted to ask if Tony was alright, wanted to tell him he’s on the way to meet him. He hesitated for a moment and decided otherwise. Because of what Happy said, Peter was afraid Tony would tell him to stay away too.

 

 

The ride felt longer than it should be. Peter bounced his leg, unable to sit still. Tony wanted to be alone? Nah…being alone was the last thing Tony wanted. Peter needed to see what happened to him.

When the car finally pulled up outside the compound, Peter thanked Happy and sprinted to Tony’s quarters.

He looked around a dimly lit area as he entered. It must be Friday who darkened all the windows and turned down the lights. Tony was there at the bar, he slumped facedown on it with a glass of drink beside him. Peter dropped his bag down on the floor and approached him.

“Tony…”

The man turned to Peter. He looked rather surprised, obviously didn’t expect Peter here.

“Pete, didn’t know you would come.”

Peter’s stiff shoulder relaxed at the sight of Tony’s small smile. At least his sudden appearance wasn’t unwelcome. His heart dropped as he got closer and saw Tony’s bloodshot eyes and exhausted expression.

“Are you okay? You look like you haven't slept for days.”

“As okay as I can be.”

Tony knocked back the rest of his drink in one go and got up from his seat. He was unsteady on his feet. Peter took hold of him and led him to the nearby couch. Tony plopped down heavily, hissing as if in pain while covering his eyes with his hand.

“You aren’t alright.” A growing sense of panic rose within Peter. “Should I call your doctor?” His voice shook. Tony looked at him through his fingers.

“Calm down, baby. I’m fine, just a headache.” He exhaled tiredly and rested his head on the back of the couch.

“Did you take some medicine?”

“Nah... don’t need it. It’s gonna get better with time.”

“Is there anything I can do for you?”

“Just sit here with me.”

He patted the seat next to him. But sitting still while Tony was suffering didn’t sound right. Peter thought about something else he could do.

“Let me try this.”

He stepped around the couch to stand behind Tony, gently ran his fingers through the man’s hair and began massaging his temples.

Tony sighed, eyes closed. He seemed to like Peter’s touch. The deep and low groan he let out encouraged Peter to apply more pressure.

It didn’t take long until the tense lines on Tony’s face relaxed. His breath became slow, deep, and steady. Peter smiled, feeling proud of himself that he could make him feel better. But when he tried to figure out what caused this distress in the first place, his smile faltered.

“Tony, would you tell me what happened?”

“I…”

Tony paused. Then he went quiet for a long while.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. It’s okay.” Peter told him.

“No…I just…it’s kinda embarrassing.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I had a nightmare.”

“Oh…”

“I don’t want you to see that a nightmare still frightens me like it did a child.”

“Tony…it’s alright. I have a nightmare that scares me off too.”

“You are technically a child.”

“I’m not!”

“You are.”

Peter groaned. “Okay, it’s not a time to discuss my maturity. What did you dream about?”

“Old memory.”

Just that, and Peter could understand without needing further explanation. The haunted look in Tony’s eyes said it all. These days, there was one old memory that could bring Tony down. The fight with Captain America at Siberia. No matter how many times Tony acted like he didn’t even care anymore. He truly still cared.

Peter tried not to judge Captain Rogers without knowing all his reasons. It must be the hardest decision to make, standing between two friends, choosing which one to protect, only to hurt the other deeply in the process. Though Peter understood why Captain Rogers did that, it didn’t mean he was okay with it. Peter admired and respected every Avenger, but he would never choose any of them over Tony.

He wished he went to Siberia with Tony that day, so Tony would have someone on his side. Peter would fight tooth and nail for him. But the past was the past, he couldn’t change it. He could only make sure that from now on, Captain America or not, no one would dare to hurt Tony ever again. They had to get past Peter first.

He stopped his massage and wrapped his arms around Tony’s shoulder, bending over to press his cheek against the man’s temple, whispering into his ear.

“You know you have me, right?”

“Pete...”

“You have me now. You’ll have me always. I’ll never hurt you. I’ll never lie to you. I’ll never leave you.”

“Don’t say things you’ll regret, baby. Everyone did. Everyone left at some point. Don’t you see how empty this place is? I built it to be a home for the whole team, the big family. Now it’s just me. I’m prone to drive people away. When you grow up and know better, you will realize you shouldn’t have said that.”

Oh…god, now Peter was burning with hot anger. He threw his understanding for the good Captain out the window. If Steve Rogers or anyone on Team Cap was here, he would punch them right in the face for what they did. They hurt Tony, inflicted pain on him and just left without care. Tony was like this because of them.

“You told me I’m different. I’m not them, Tony. If you don’t believe me now, it’s okay. I’ll prove it to you. I promise whenever you turn around, you’ll always see me here, with you, beside you. I’m proud to say that my loyalty is unparalleled, and I’m loyal to you. If not today, one day you’ll believe me.”

Tony squeezed Peter’s arm as if to reassure himself Peter was really here. Peter nuzzled his cheek against Tony’s hair, and wrapped his arms tighter around Tony’s shoulders, silently comforted the man with his touch.

They stayed like that for a while. Peter blinked back his tears. He hated seeing Tony in pain. There must be something more he could do to help, at least to distract Tony from the bad feeling. And when the idea came up, it’s like he flicked a light switch on in his mind.

“Hey… I have something to show you. Please wait here.”

He rushed back to grab his backpack he left in front of the entrance, then went into the bathroom and quickly changed his clothes. When he finished, he came out to find that Tony was back at the bar, having another drink. The man almost spit it out as he saw Peter.

“What is that?”

Peter smiled proudly, spread his arms and spun around, showing off his outfit. The hooded onesie pajamas that were designed to look like Iron Man suit, with the added cuteness of a matching pair of fluffy slippers.

“My new pajamas. What do you think?”

“You look like a five-year-old in that.”

“What? You don’t think I’m sexy?”

“Nope.”

Peter stuck his tongue out at him. Tony laughed.

_...That’s it._

He secretly thought. Peter crossed his arms and flopped down on the couch. Trying his best to maintain his pouting face and not let the satisfied smiled slip out.

“I’m sexy, no matter what you say.”

“And you just said that you’re not a child.”

Tony rolled his eyes and laughed even more. Peter didn’t argue. He would allow Tony to call him a child as much as he wanted, if it made Tony laugh like that. The wrinkle around his eyes because of laughter was so much better than those tense lines of stress.

“Baby boy, I think you need to relearn the whole definition of sexiness.”

“Would you teach me?” Peter grinned cheekily.

“Hmm…maybe someday.”

The man abandoned his drink and came back to his previous spot on the couch. To Peter’s surprise, he laid down and rested his head on Peter’s thigh.

“How has your day been? Did anyone at school still bother you?” Tony asked.

“No one would dare when Iron Man has taken me under his wing.” Peter smiled. “Thanks to you. School day becomes much easier for me.”

Tony smiled too. Peter was so happy to see the man’s mood shifted into the calmer state.

“That’s good.” Tony exhaled contentedly and closed his eyes. “Can I borrow your lap for a while?”

“Sure, as long as you need.”

He dozed off in no time. The lack of sleep and stress must wear him out. Peter used the opportunity to enjoy watching him sleep, examining every detail on his handsome face. He reached for his phone and sent a message to Happy, telling him there’s no need to worry. His boss was in good hands now.

Peter lightly put his palm on Tony’s forehead. He wished he had some kind of magic to bless Tony with the sweetest dream ever.

 

 

******************************

 

 

That night, Tony gave Peter a ride home. It’s long past dinner time. Peter hoped his aunt didn’t wait for him and had eaten already. If not, she would be starving and angry enough to eat Peter alive by now.

Peter glanced at the man in driver seat and couldn’t help smiling. Tony’s eyes were fixed on the road. He was very attractive when he focused on something, like when he was working in the lab, creating new piece of armor, or driving his car. Peter loved watching Tony lose himself in deep thought, pouring all attention to the task at hand. That intense look on his face made Peter feel weak and wobbly inside.

Sometimes, Peter had to pinch himself to make sure all this was real and wasn’t just a dream. He still remembered the time back then, when his chance to meet Tony was less than zero. He could see him only in the news. Tony was once so far from him, completely out of reach. Even as their fates finally entwined, the beginning was such a dismay to Peter because Tony didn’t acknowledge him. He couldn’t even make a direct contact with Tony, and had to leave all his messages with Happy who, at that time, ignored every word he sent.

But now Tony was here. And Peter was more than sure that from now on, his every message, every call, would be answered.

When the car stopped at the red light. Peter reached out to touch Tony’s hand on the steering wheel. The man responded by lacing their fingers together. Tony turned to look at Peter with a warm smile.

“What are you smiling at?” Tony asked.

“I’m just so happy.”

They held hands like that all the way. Tony drove at a speed slower than usual. Peter didn’t want to get back home so soon, Tony seemed to think the same.

When Peter gave a light squeeze, Tony squeezed back. They silently communicated through their simple touch, exchanging a thousand things without saying any word. And Peter wondered, if a touch of hands felt this good, what it would feel like when he was allowed to do more?

He wished that if he closed his eyes and opened it again, the end of the year would come. But having a tender moment like this was good too, the waiting period wasn’t so bad at all.

He absentmindedly hummed the old love song he liked so much. Tony turned his attention to him.

“Which song is that?”

“My song.” Peter smiled and sang his favorite part.

_“I know that it might sound more than a little crazy. But I believe._

_I knew I loved you before I met you. I think I dreamed you into life._

_I knew I loved you before I met you_ _. I have been waiting all my life.”_

Tony looked at him fondly. “That’s cute. Did you just purposely sing me a love song?”

“Maybe.” He grinned. “Do you have your song?”

“I have many favorite songs, but none can relate to me to the point that I’ll call it my song. Still looking for one.”

“Will you tell me when you find it?”

“Of course I will.” Tony smiled. “But… I don’t quite understand your song. How can people love someone they haven’t even met?”

“I don’t know how either, don’t even know why. But it happened to me.” Peter shyly said. “I’ve been in love with you since I was nine.”

“What?” Tony raised his brows up high. “Nine? Honestly, baby, I don’t know how to feel about that.”

“Yeah… I… I know it’s weird. But it just happened.”

“How a nine-year-old understands what love is? I know you’re extraordinary smart. But that isn’t something you can learn from textbook.”

“That nine-year-old boy understood nothing. Back then, he only knew that somehow, you’re always there, inside his heart. You’re a hero he looked up to. That boy wanted to be like you, to follow in your footsteps. You’re the reason he smiled. You kept him going when he had a bad day. It’s not until recently when I really looked back and just realized that… yeah… I’ve loved you all along.”

The car finally stopped in front of Peter’s apartment. Tony stared at their linked hands in silence for a long moment. He seemed unable to find what to say. There were so many emotions in the man’s eyes that Peter couldn’t comprehend.

“I used to write a mountain of letters and emails for you. But I can tell from your expression that you received none of them. Just wanna tell you I am your biggest fan.” He grinned proudly.

“Baby boy, you’re so sweet.”

“Wanna find out how sweet I can be for you?”

Peter leaned toward the man. He couldn’t turn down a chance to see if Tony would give in and kiss him now. This moment was so perfect for a kiss.

But Tony just smiled and let go of his hand.

“You should get inside. Your aunt is waiting for you.”

“I don’t want to leave you alone. You sure you’re okay?”

“You make me feel so much better, baby. Call me when you finish your homework.”

Peter nodded, but he still needed a goodbye kiss before they parted ways. He kissed his own fingertip and reached out to touch it lightly on Tony’s lips.

Satisfied, he grabbed his backpack and got out of the car. Smiling to himself as he could feel the weight of Tony’s gaze followed after him until he stepped inside the building.

 

 

******************************

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. :)


	6. Trust

 

 

Peter bounced through the quiet corridor.

The Avengers facility was the coolest place he had ever seen. After many months of him trailing behind Tony around. It’d finally become Peter’s private Disneyland. Tony gave Peter another shock by granting him full authority to access every closed door in the compound. The man wasn’t kidding when he said Peter could have all expensive toys here for himself.

There’s only one condition. He needed to be very careful not to let anyone see him enter the place he shouldn’t have entered. Because nobody would understand why Tony gave a kid free rein to explore a place full of weapons and confidential information.

Peter himself didn’t understand it either. He thought maybe it’s kind of a test. But some sappy part of him wanted to believe Tony trusted him. Though after everything that had happened, he knew how hard it was for Tony to trust someone again.

A test or trust, whichever it was, caused hope rising up in him. And Peter, driven by his positive attitude, really liked to stick with a notion that Tony trusted Peter. Such thought made him so happy.

 

Talking about happiness, one more thing making his day brighter than ever was their developing relationship. It’d been almost nine months into their one year period. Peter felt a little breathless when he thought the end he’s waiting for was so near.

Since he found out Tony still suffered from nightmare, Peter had visited the compound as often as he was able to. He asked Tony if he could come here every day after school. Then, a car was waiting for him at 2:45 p.m., daily, never once late. Most of the time Happy was a driver, sometimes it’s someone else when Happy had to do another work for Tony. Happy complained a lot about how much he hated being Peter’s personal school bus. But he always came on time to pick Peter up.

_“Boss looks happier with you around.”_

Happy said that. And Peter hoped it’s true. Because that’s all he ever wanted, to make Tony forget the pain. He would erase it all from Tony’s heart if he had the power to do so. 

Peter spent his evening at the compound, doing homework or using Tony’s amazing workshop for his own creation. Then Tony would drive him home. They always enjoyed their quiet moment in the car, holding hands. It had become the habit to grab each other’s hands as soon as they settled in their seats.

At weekend, Peter would stay over. And the more he hung around the compound, the more he noticed the only problem about this awesome place. The silence of the night intensified this feeling much more than it was under the daylight. This desolate place was too empty to call it a home.

Apparently, desolation wasn’t good for Tony. Therefore, the main purpose of Peter being a constant guest was keeping Tony company. Tony would not let anyone know if the nightmare bothered him, unless Peter stood right in front of him and saw all the evidence on his weary face. That’s when he knew Tony needed comfort. Peter had to stay close to make sure that comfort was available at any time.    

There were days when they would chat endlessly about the new upgrade for their suits, or laughed their asses off because something they built went wrong and exploded in the lab, making a mess all over.

There also were days when Tony would just lay down on the couch, using Peter’s lap as a pillow. He’d say nothing, but Peter knew he silently convinced himself inside his head that one day Peter was going to leave him too.

_“I have sticky hands and sticky webs. You ain’t gonna get rid of me that easy!”_

Peter joked about it to lift up the mood. And it’s okay if Tony was still too hurt to believe it now. Peter would stubbornly keep coming back every day, until Tony was unable to believe otherwise.

 

 

Tonight was another night Peter stayed over. He wandered around the compound just for fun. Feeling proud as the only high school boy in the world who could sneak into the weapons vault, playing with Captain America’s shield or Hawkeye’s bow and arrow. And with those things, Peter did funny impressions of the former Avengers just because he could.

When he finished having fun with this high-tech theme park, he walked upside down on the ceiling back to the lab. Stepping inside, he saw a familiar view. Tony was sitting at his workstation as always, staring at one of his many screens.

But something was different as he walked closer. Peter suddenly stopped in his tracks. The look on Tony’s face caught him by surprise. Tony was… smiling? Yeah, but it’s the kind of smile Peter had never seen before.

A sudden pang of jealousy hit him. What made Tony smile like that?

“Hey… what are you doing?” Peter went down from the ceiling to stand behind Tony’s chair.

“Reading love letter from Queens boy.”

“What?”

Peter leaned in to take a look at the screen, and his jaw dropped.

“That’s m…my email.”

“Yeah, you told me about your fan mails. So, I had Friday get them back from my company’s old server. And gosh, Pete, you sent me hundreds.”

“Oh no no no no, please don’t read it.”

He desperately covered Tony’s eyes with his hands. Heat spread all over his face, made it burn with embarrassment as he thought about all those silly, foolish things his younger self wrote.

“Too late, baby.” Tony grinned, gently pried Peter’s hands away from his face and turned to him with twinkling eyes.

“Friday, delete all of them.” Peter told the AI.

“No, Friday, secure them in my private server.”

There was a pause and Friday replied. ‘Sorry boss, I’m confused.’

“Secure them in my server.” Tony repeated.

‘All done.’

Peter huffed and plopped down heavily on a chair nearby. Burying his face in his hands. He let out a distressed groan. Aside from all laughable things he wrote, everyone who read them could see his ridiculous pining clear as day. It’s so embarrassing.

“Don’t be shy, baby. Your letters are so cute. I enjoy reading your story very much.” Then he asked with a grin. “You think I have sexy butt?”

Peter felt like his face was on fire.

“Did you really tell your aunt you want to marry Iron Man?”

“Yes, I did.” Peter grumbled. “And I wrote that down because I thought there’s no chance you would read it.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t bring back your paper letters. I really want to read them too.”

“Fortunately for me. With just all these emails, you have enough material to keep teasing me for all my life.”

“What kind of person you think I am?” Tony made exaggerated hurt expression. “How could I be a dick and tease my biggest, sweetest fanboy?”

“You are teasing me right now.” Peter glared at him.

Tony laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkled. And Peter was easily defeated by the sight. He loved Tony’s laugh too much to keep complaining. He would let the man tease him forever as long as he blessed Peter with a laugh like that.

Peter sighed. Then, something caught his mind, it suddenly alarmed him.

“Tony, why Friday said she’s confused? Is something wrong with her?”

“Ah…don’t worry. It’s because of a contrary command. Like when you say ‘Yes, do it’ and I say ‘No, don’t do it’.”

“That’s never been a problem before. She always listens to you first.”

“Not anymore. I changed it. From now on, the priority of your command is at the same level as mine.”

Peter stared at him in complete shock. His mouth dropped open. Did he hear it right?

Tony chuckled at Peter’s shocked expression.

“This is my way of showing appreciation. I suppose.”

All these matters weren’t his test then. No need to come this far just to test someone. Peter blinked dumbly, losing for words. Tony really trusted him. And to give him the full authority to control Friday was a whole other level of trust Peter never thought he would receive.

“Pete… I know what you’re trying to do for me.” Tony’s warm smile turned sad. “I really appreciate it. I’m grateful for your presence here. But I’m holding you down, aren’t I? You shouldn’t trap yourself here with an old man. A young one like you have so much life out there. Shouldn’t you hang out with friends, having more fun?”

“I meet my friends every day at school. That’s more than enough. I like hanging out with you.”

“Peter…”

“Don’t say I will regret this. I will absolutely regret it if I trade spending time with you for something else. And please, don’t call yourself an old man. You aren’t some boring grandpa. You’re Tony Stark, the world’s greatest hero. Everyone would be dying for just a minute with you.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been the world’s greatest hero. I failed many people and they hate me, you know.”

“My greatest hero then.” Peter looked right into Tony’s eyes. “I’d like to stick around, Tony. My happiness is here.”

For a brief moment, Tony looked torn between laughing and crying. He got up from his seat and came to stand in front of Peter. Running his hand gently through Peter’s soft curls before pressing a kiss on top of Peter’s head.

“Thank you, sweet baby.”

Peter smiled up at him and quickly looked down. Feeling shy all of a sudden because of the tenderness in Tony’s eyes.

But as he sat on a chair and Tony stood, Peter’s mischievous gaze fell right at the man’s crotch. His face burned with shame. God…this was a touching moment between them. Why he had to ruin the mood with inappropriate idea? Like going down to his knees and doing something.

Oh no… Peter averted his attention back to Tony’s face before his thought had a chance to form vivid image. Tony lifted a brow at him in question.

“What are you thinking?”

“You sure you want to know?” He grinned sheepishly.

“No.” Tony took a step back, held out his hand to stop Peter from saying anything. “With that look on your face, it must be something naughty. I don’t need that on my conscience.”

“Your conscience is annoying.”

“And you’re a bad boy. Never stop trying to make me lose control.”

“Would you have me any other way?” He slightly tilted his head, fluttering his eyelashes.

Tony huffed out a laugh. “You know the answer, baby.” He ruffled Peter’s hair one last time and got back to work.

They left their conversation at that, but the meaning of it still lingered in the air. Peter could feel it. He knew Tony felt it too, from the way the man kept smiling while tending to the hologram of his prototype armor.

Peter folded his arms on the table and rested his head on it, his gaze followed Tony. Their relationship was slowly forming its shape. Pieces settled together, one by one.

He cherished every minute they spent together, and the comfortable pace they found around each other. He hoped when it finally became something, that creation would be beautiful, solid, permanent, unbreakable.

His eyelids felt heavy. He yawned. Listening to the soothing sound of Tony’s voice as he talked to Friday about running some test. His voice lulled Peter to fall asleep with a smile on his face.

 

 

******************************

 

 

Peter woke up in a bed somewhere. He sighed contentedly. The mattress felt nice, and the covers were comfortably warm. After stretching like a cat, he’s a little bit confused as he looked around the room. And it dawned on him that this was Tony’s bedroom. He used to get in here once or twice out of curiosity while exploring Tony’s private quarters.

But how he ended up here? He remembered sleeping in the lab. It couldn’t be…

“Friday, did Tony carry me here?” Peter asked what he thought.

‘Yes, Peter.’

“What? Oh God!”

Whining loudly, he rolled over and over in desperation. Why didn’t he wake up sooner? He had just missed the hottest moment in his life. Tony carried him. Was it bridal style?

Peter fell out of bed with a loud thud.

“Ow! Why I have to be so good at embarrassing myself?” He grunted, untangled his limbs from the blanket and climbed back into bed. “Friday, where is Tony now?”

‘Boss is in the lab.’

Peter bit his bottom lip and looked around. It’s almost three in the morning. He should go back to sleep, but some idea occurred in his mind. The thought that he was in Tony’s bed made his cheeks heat up. No matter how much he felt ashamed of this dirty thought, it awakened the irresistible need in him. He nestled himself farther under the covers, imagined they were Tony’s arms wrapped cozily around him.

Peter buried his face into the pillow, inhaling deeply. Tony’s scent caused the certain part of his teenage body to become fully hard. He ground his hip down on the silky fabric of the bed and moaned softly. Closing his eyes, Peter let his imagination spring to life. He sneaked a hand down under his pants while thinking about Tony.

Thinking about the firm grip of Tony’s hand when he squeezed Peter’s shoulder. The delicious way his biceps flexed when he worked. Those brown eyes behind tinted sunglasses. His deep voice, his charming laugh, his smug smile. And the thing that turned Peter on like nothing else was when the man suited up. Iron armor spread across his body, enveloping him and making him lethal, transforming him into the deadly weapon that was sexy as fuck.

“Tony… a…ah… Tony…”  

Peter sped up his stroke. He didn’t muffle his voice like when he did this at home. In this big place, no one could hear him chant Tony’s name. He panted, his pulse quickened as he was so close. Though normally he could hold it longer than this, now he lost control. His senses were swamped with Tony’s smell and the feel of Tony’s bed.

Peter came with a high-pitched moan. Trying his best to catch it all within his hands. It would be bad to make a mess here. He thought about his come dripped onto the bed, making it dirty. Tony found the stain later and knew what Peter was doing. Oh god… somehow, his spent dick seemed to like the idea. He was ready for the second round in no time.

 

 

******************************

 

 

Peter walked into the lab with a cup of hot chocolate in one hand, and a cup of coffee in another. Tony was in the same spot, doing the same thing Peter remembered watching him before he fell asleep. He sat down beside the man and handed him coffee cup.

“Thanks, baby. Sleep well?”

“Yeah. Did May call?”

“She called, asking me if you’re really safe here and not out there fighting some bad guy.”

Peter sighed.

“It’s not that she doesn’t trust you. She’s just worried about you.” Tony said.

“I know. She’s very protective of me. And she will always be. I’ve already made peace with that fact.”

Peter sipped his chocolate and stared at the hologram in front of them. A model of new Iron Man suit. He watched Tony rotate it, changing the small details here and there.

“You know…” Tony muttered. “Basically, anyone who finds me staying up this late will tell me to get some rest. You’re the first who brought me coffee.”

“You’re a grown-up. You can rest whenever you want. I always hate it when May tells me to go to bed. I know you hate it too.”

“I see. Boys always have a little bit of rebelliousness in them. Don’t like following order and all.”

“Nah… I think it depends what and whose order.” Peter sent the man a meaningful smile, lightly grazed his fingertips against Tony’s arm. “There must be some order I would very much like to follow.”

Tony rolled his eyes.

“Are you seducing me? Nice try, baby.” He rumpled Peter’s already messy hair, made it even messier. “You make it hard for me to keep my hand to myself.”

“Why bother?” Peter smirked. He knew the rule, but flirting just a little bit wouldn’t hurt. “You can put your hand on anywhere you want.”

“Peter...” Tony sighed. “Please, don’t try to ruin my self-restraint.”

“Since when does a playboy need self-restraint? I think self-indulgence suits you more.”

“Uh-huh, self-indulgence, like doing naughty thing in my bed?”

“What?” Peter winced. “H…how did you know?”

“Friday knows everything that happened in this place, baby boy.” It’s Tony’s turn to smirk. “And it’s her duty to inform me when she noticed something wrong. You cried out my name repeatedly, so she thought you might need my help.”

“I…”

Peter was speechless. What would he say anyway? What was a proper excuse for masturbating in someone’s bed? And how much Tony knew? Did Friday mention Peter did it twice? Embarrassment overload rendered Peter’s smart brain temporarily out of service.

“You would not say anything?” Tony looked extremely amused, obviously trying to stifle a laugh.

“I…I…I…” Peter stuttered. His face was on fire. “It…it’s late! I should go back to bed!”

He fled as fast as he could. Tony burst out laughing and his voice echoed after him.

 

 

Back in Tony’s bedroom, Peter banged his head against the door in frustration. Glaring at the ceiling, he grumbled sarcastically.

“Thank you so much, Friday.”

‘You’re welcome.’

He rolled his eyes at the reply.

What to do now? He knew he should go back to his own room. A guest room he always used every time he stayed over. But Tony’s bed was tempting. So warm and so full of Tony’s scent. He didn’t know why Tony carried him here in the first place. Maybe because it was closer than the guest room.

Peter dropped himself on the large bed, too big for one to sleep without feeling lonely. Was this another way of Tony trying to show appreciation? Let Peter mess around in his personal space. Whatever it was, he’s ready to jump into every door Tony opened for him.

He grabbed a pillow and hug it to his chest. Knowing which one Tony used the most just by the smell of it. But this wasn’t enough, Peter wanted to hug the real Tony. Their no touching rule was such a pain. Having the man he loved within arm’s reach but couldn’t touch made him desperate, burn with desire.

As he stared at the ceiling, Peter had a suspicion that Friday was being an ass to him. She’s the intelligent system. No way in hell she didn’t know what human male doing to relieve sexual tension.

“You’re such a sassy girl, Friday.”

‘I am what my creator made me.’ Came her reply.

Peter smiled. Of course, she was Tony’s sassy girl. And tonight, this horny youngster who itched to shove his hand under his pants would also be Tony’s sassy boy. It’s hurt that Tony seemed to have no problem with keeping his distance when the whole situation burned Peter inside out.

If he told Friday to give him privacy, he would be free to do everything in private. But he didn’t want that. He had already been embarrassed so far. Nothing more to lose, and he would not suffer alone.

Peter took his clothes off until he was laying bare on the bed.

“Friday...”

‘Yes, Peter.’

“Tell your boss I’m waiting here naked in his very bed. Describe what I’m doing in the most explicit way. Tell him he can join me if he wants.”

He wished the man would burst through that door and make Peter forget his own name. But he also knew Tony was too good at respecting their rule while Peter trying so hard to break it. However, he let out satisfied giggles that turned to sensual moans as he touched his erection. At least he won this round. It’s his turn to smirk triumphantly. Let Tony have a good time with the perfect self-restraint of his.

 

 

******************************

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sassy Peter or Sweet Peter?  
> ;)
> 
> I'm very sorry for my snail's pace updating. Working six days a week is killing me.  
> It's a little bit hard to find some free time to write. (or to rest) :')
> 
> Thanks for reading! The next one will be the last chapter for this story !!


	7. The Best Gift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading till the last chapter!  
> And thank you soooo much for every comment. I really appreciate all of your opinions. You all keep me going! :)  
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Love ya! <3
> 
> *

 

 

Peter sighed.

He sighed like a hundred times in front of his laptop as he surfed the internet, searching for some article about the latest charity gala ball Tony attended. Eight hours ago, Peter watched Tony get dress at the compound. The man was so stunning in tailor-made, black tuxedo.

Peter secretly took candid photos of him with his phone like a creepy fanboy. Tony caught him doing that, he turned to Peter with a knowing smile and let Peter take as many photos as he wanted. They even snapped a selfie that ended up with Tony looking at the camera and Peter dreamily looking at Tony.

Before he left for the gala, Tony dropped Peter at his home. Peter stood in front of his apartment, watching the car until it’s out of sight. He felt an unusual sting, a sharp feeling of displeasure within his chest. The feeling kept him up all night. That’s why he was brooding in the silence of his room, looking for the news, instead of sleeping soundly under warm blanket.

He stopped scrolling when he came across one picture that caught his interest. He didn’t know Ms. Potts would be at the gala too. But there she was. Looking splendid in her midnight blue evening dress with hair tied up in a bun. Tony stood beside her, waving at a group of photographers. They were so perfect together, an extremely handsome genius with a beautiful, smart woman.

He met Ms. Potts sometimes when she came to the compound to visit Tony. She’s always nice and kind to Peter. He liked her. He knew she helped Tony a lot, running his company for him so Tony could have time to do whatever he wanted.

Besides, they were just good friends now. But everyone seemed to believe they only needed time to sort things out. Peter could feel that people around them were waiting for the day Tony would start romantic relationship with Pepper again.

The caption under the picture said _‘Iron Man and His Ex Reunite. Are They Getting Back Together?’_

“No way! He’s all mine!”

Peter whispered through gritted teeth, and grimaced at how wrong it sounded. They were still friends, too. Unless Tony took him into another level of relationship when their waiting period ended.

But nobody in their decent minds would think Tony Stark might choose an awkward high school boy over a perfect Pepper Potts.

Peter closed his laptop with shaky hands.

Jealousy was an ugly feeling, but he let it consume him.

 

 

******************************

 

 

Seeking for a solitary place where no one could disturb him. Peter wandered around in his Spider suit with backpack slung over one shoulder. He finally found that spot on top of the bridge. He sat there, taking his mask off. City view from up here was astonishing, but he wasn’t in the mood to enjoy them.

He did irresponsible thing again. He should be in the classroom, studying Spanish. But he was here. Ditching school without suitable reason made him feel bad. He didn’t want to be a troubled teen. He just didn’t feel like facing anyone right now. Not when he couldn’t get the jealousy out of his mind.

Peter pulled his phone out, opened the last photo they took before the gala. He stared at it as his thought ran wild. Whoever saw this photo could tell how far Peter was gone on Tony simply from that dreamy look in his eyes.

If he’d been the one with Tony at the gala, what a picture they would have made?

Tony and Ms. Potts, the perfect couple, everyone would applaud for their union. But Tony and Peter?

It hurt to accept that they looked like father and son. But even that was not the worst of it. If someone looked at them from a different angle, they would be more like a scandal.

As he considered this, Peter understood now why Tony was so careful not to cross the line. Only one misstep and their situation could become a disaster. A mismatch between the older man and the younger one. Even when Peter turned seventeen and it’s not illegal anymore, he knew their relationship was still frowned upon.

Tony risked his reputation for Peter, but Peter only being a bad boy who never stopped provoking him to break the rule. He felt a twinge of guilt for his past behavior.

Moreover, the fact that Tony had to be so handsome in public, making people fall for his charm, displeased Peter strongly. Seeing him with his ex-girlfriend called forth his jealousy and possessiveness.

Tony wasn’t his, not now, not yet, maybe not ever. Peter shouldn’t feel like this. He couldn’t help it though. He hated that so many people out there were ready to fall on their knees in front of the man he loved.

Peter was just a ridiculously unattractive kid. He couldn’t come up with one reason a gorgeous genius would want someone like him. What if Tony refused to kiss him simply because he didn’t want to?

He hugged his knees to his chest and dropped his forehead on them. Why life had to be so difficult? He just wanted to be with the one he loved.

 

*

 

Peter’s phone rang, startled him out of his trance. He quickly accepted the call when he saw the name on screen.

“Hi, Tony.”

“Pete, what are you doing up there?”

“Oh…I’m just…uhm…thinking about something.”

“Are you alright, baby? Karen alerts me you’ve been up there for three and a half hours.”

“I…”

Peter didn’t know how to answer. The first thing waiting to slip out was ‘I’m alright’, but he didn’t want to lie. He was definitely not alright. But if he said that, Tony would be worried.

Before he could figure out a proper reply, he heard woman’s voice from Tony’s side.

“Who’s that?” The question burst out uncontrollably.

“Pepper.”

He frowned. Her name stirred up his raging possessiveness.

“You took her home with you last night?”

“Yeah, I have a meeting today. It’s easier to go there together. She has to brief me about it anyway.”

“Is that all?”

Tony fell silent for a moment. Then he said.

“I didn’t sleep with her if that’s what you want to ask.”

The man sounded hurt. Peter’s heart dropped. His eyes instantly became too hot and he was blinking back tears. He felt awful for even doubted. He was such a nosy, disrespectful little shit who didn’t know his place. Tony could do whatever he wanted, with anyone he wanted. Peter had no right to demand an explanation from him.

“I’m sorry…” Peter’s voice cracked. “I’m so sorry… I shouldn’t have asked. But…I…I…saw the news about you and her at the gala. I…”

He couldn’t say anything more. He just cried. They had come this far together. Only a couple of weeks left before his seventeenth birthday. Thanked to Peter’s stupidity to ruin everything now. He wouldn’t be surprised if Tony never wanted to see him again.

“Hey… baby boy, calm down.”

“I’m sorry, please… don’t hate me.”

“Oh Pete, I won’t hate you just because you get jealous.” Tony’s voice turned softer.

“That’s the problem.” He sobbed. “I shouldn’t have felt this way, should I? We aren’t together. Plus, you… you’ve never been jealous.”

“Who says I’ve never been jealous?”

“When we made our deal, you said I could try dating someone else. You said you wouldn’t mind.”

Tony sighed. “Yes, I said that. I just need you to be sure about what you want, Pete. I thought if you date someone your own age, you’ll change your mind. You’ll realize there are better choices to choose.”

“Tony, no one better than you exists in this universe.”

“You always said it that way, as if I’m a divine being or something.”

“Because you are.”

“Okay, I won’t argue with you about this. You’ll only throw your praise at me until you leave me blushing.” He let out another long sigh. “Listen, baby, even if I say you can date someone else, it doesn’t mean I won’t get jealous. I’ll tell you I have a whole family tree and every little detail of the life of that senior boy who tried to touch you in my database. The only reason I didn’t kick him out into the solar system yet, is that you’re more than capable of kicking his ass yourself if you want to.”

“Tony…”

“Believe me, baby. I’m a jealous type. I’m the only child who grew up alone. Mum usually got me what I wanted and didn’t teach me much about sharing. I don’t like someone touching my gift, especially my favorite one.”

“I… I’m your favorite gift?”

“Sweet baby, you’re the best gift life has ever offered to me.”

Fresh hot tears rolled down Peter’s cheeks again, but this time it’s from happiness. His heart swelled, filled up the void in his chest all at once.

Peter would do anything just to hear that every day.

 

 

******************************

 

 

“Dude, what are we gonna do tomorrow? You have any plan?”

Ned asked excitedly through the phone.

“Hmm… sorry, Ned. I can’t see you tomorrow. I have something important…”

“What? It’s your birthday. We won’t celebrate together?”

“Of course, we will. But it must be a belated celebration.”

“What are you up to these days? Peter, we rarely hang out.”

“Oh Ned, I’m really sorry. I promise I’ll make it up to you later. Okay? What about pizza and a movie, my treat. And I’ll show you some new tech. It’s crazy and awesome, you’ll love it.”

Peter spent twenty minutes trying to calm his upset friend down. He hung up the phone, feeling very sorry for neglecting his best friend. He wished he could tell Ned everything. One day he would, when things settled down, and he was sure where his life was going. When he didn’t have to worry his secret or the relationship between him and Tony would be exposed to public.

Now that things had changed, he’s the popular dude in school, throwing a big birthday party was Ned’s first idea. Celebrating like celebrity, Ned said. But Peter laughed and declined. His friend seemed to enjoy the attention much more than Peter did.

Being famous wasn’t as fun as he once thought it would be. The insincerity that came with it was very uncomfortable. Peter Parker who was a nobody didn’t have to deal with those fake smiles, or people who approached him because they wanted something. His classmates never stopped asking him to help them get the Stark Internship. As if Peter would let anyone get close to _his_ Tony.

He could feel it, they wanted to be his friends not because they liked who Peter really was. They just liked the place he stood, under Tony Stark’s wing. But at least that had a good advantage. No assholes dared giving Peter a hard time anymore. They were afraid Iron Man would come knocking at their doors if they upset his intern. And Peter was very grateful for the peaceful days he had.

Peter sighed and laid down on his small bed. Sometimes he felt lonely. His parents were gone and he barely remembered them. He had his aunt. He had Ned. But there were so many things he couldn’t talk to them. That’s when Tony stepped in, the man filled the empty space in his heart. He finally had someone to rely on. It made life feel less scary.

To think that the small crowd and a few incidents in school could wear Peter down terribly. He wouldn’t be able to imagine what Tony had been through, had suffered. The man was practically living in the spotlight for all his life. The difficulty, the struggle, the loneliness, and the pain of dealing with this fucked up world all by himself made Peter shudder.

Tony was so strong, and he gave Peter strength. Peter wanted to be Tony’s strength too. He wanted to be there for Tony like Tony was there for him.

They were very much alike. They lost their parents. They were different, having problems fitting in with the society. They could understand each other’s pain. They could be each other’s everything if Tony let him in.

He hoped Tony let him in.            

 

*

 

Peter flinched and immediately sat up on his bed. After a moment of shaking off the drowsiness. He looked at his phone. It’s 11:58 p.m.

He fell asleep for two hours then. What woke him up? Maybe the nerve. He could feel his heart beat faster, louder. Anxiety slowly crept up inside him.

At the beginning of their year-long agreement, the road seemed to have no end. But now, time really flew, the end of that path was here. Their waiting period would be no more as he finally turned seventeen.

Peter flinched again when a message popped up on his phone. He quickly opened it, and couldn’t help smiling. It’s already midnight.

_‘Happy birthday, baby boy.’_

His hands slightly shook. He had so many questions to ask, but he’s so nervous he couldn’t type a word. He was scared, so scared of the answer. What if it’s rejection? What if Tony said no? If he said they should be just an intern and a mentor, Peter felt like he might die right here because of a broken heart.

He couldn’t accept rejection and move on. Peter was too far gone, too madly, deeply in love. He needed that place. The special place where he could take care of Tony, protect him, fight alongside him, comfort him, and tell him every day how much Peter loved him.

_‘Thank you.’_

Peter sent a reply, with a little red heart emoji.

It’s not what he wanted to say though.

He wanted to say _‘Please, please be my man, like I’ve been your boy since the beginning, since a long time ago. You always tell me to think about my choice. But that choice had already been made by that little boy, from the moment the boy witnessed the confident, charming, and handsome Tony Stark announce to the world he is Iron Man.’_

Peter didn’t have the courage to send that.

_‘See you in the morning.’_

It’s all he could do.

And with nervous tears, he added the last one.

 

_‘I love you.’_

 

 

******************************

 

 

As the first light seeped through his window, starting a new day, Peter jumped out of bed.

He rummaged through his wardrobe for something special to wear. Unfortunately, there’s nothing special in there. He put blue sweater and jeans in the backpack, and quickly changed into his Spider suit. After leaving a note for his aunt, he went out through the window.

He headed to the Avengers compound with a heart pounding in his chest. His hands were cold and clammy under the gloves. Tony would laugh at him if the man knew Peter was this nervous. He’s sure Tony hadn’t even been out of bed yet.

 

 

It didn’t take long to reach the destination. Even beating his own previous record time. He entered the compound and Friday greeted him.

‘Good morning, Peter. Boss isn’t here.’

“What?” He halted midstep. “Where did he go this early?”

‘He’s going to pick you up from your home. I’ve already informed him you are here. He’s on his way back.’

Peter’s eyes widened in surprise. As the information sank in, he let out a laugh. It seemed he was not the only one who got overly excited.

Peter changed back to his normal clothes. Then instead of sitting down and waiting properly, he paced back and forth at the front door where he could see when Tony’s car arrived.

The man’s flashy car appeared ten minutes later. Another wave of nervousness hit Peter hard again as he saw Tony get out of his car. A hundred butterflies were wreaking havoc in Peter’s stomach.

At first, he planned to throw the question out, just got it over with. But the possibility of being rejected still frightened him.

Peter froze in his spot as Tony approached.

“You surprise me.” Tony greeted him with his broad smile. “I was going to pick you up. But you’re faster than me. Let’s get inside, birthday boy.”

Tony placed a hand on Peter’s shoulder, ushered him in. When they stepped into Tony’s private quarters, Peter gasped. A big red and blue Spider-Man cake was waiting for him.

“Wow! My birthday cake!”

He ran to it, before catching a glimpse of another thing. On the couch nearby, a massive box wrapped in Spider-Man theme paper was there.

“Is that for me too?”

Tony nodded, still smiling. Peter happily went straight for it. No matter how old he was, he would always enjoy opening a gift box.

There were various things inside, new laptop, smartphone, backpack, wallet, watch, headphones, a pair of sneakers, a couple of new shirts and jeans. Everything he needed to replace his old, worn out belongings. Tony seemed to try his best to be subtle and not buying high-end brand that would draw too much attention to Peter.

“If you need anything else, you can use my card in that wallet.” Tony told him.

Peter’s jaw dropped when he looked inside the said wallet. Ten types of credit cards were in there. Okay, this wasn’t subtle anymore.

“Oh… it’s too much Tony. You shouldn’t have… but anyway, thank you so much. These are the biggest gifts and the biggest cake I have ever had.”

Peter beamed at him. Their eyes momentarily met. Peter shifted his gaze away quickly, back to his cake, because he couldn’t figure out a better place to look at. The unasked question hovered between them. He didn’t dare to bring it up first. All he could do was just standing there, stiff and nervous.

Peter’s heart skipped a beat when he heard Tony step closer. The man stopped behind him without saying anything. No one said anything. The room fell into silence for a long, agonizing moment. Until Tony called.

“Pete…”

Peter inhaled several deep breaths, and silently prayed one last wish before turning to face him. The soft smile and the fond look in Tony’s eyes melted down Peter’s bravery. He felt like a poor soul waiting for the deity to reveal his fate.

“Happy birthday, baby. Congrats for finally turning seventeen.” Tony reached out, took both of Peter’s hands in his. “I know you’ve been waiting for this day.”

Peter couldn’t muster up a reply. He just fixed his stare on Tony’s face and squeezed his hands, waiting for the next words.

“Our deal has come to an end. I…” Tony paused, he lifted one hand up to brush Peter’s cheek with the back of his fingers. “Baby… do you still feel the same?”

“Yes.” Peter replied with a firm nod.

“Are you really sure about this?”

He gave another firm nod.

“Peter…” Tony sighed. “You have to understand. I don’t think our relationship will be approved in public. If somebody knows about us. They’ll call us things. We’ll likely become the big scandal on every headline. I’m way past caring what people say about my personal affair. But I’m worried about you. You aren’t familiar with being harassed by the media. Are you ready for that?”

“I know it won’t be easy, but I’m ready to handle it when the time comes. I don’t need anyone’s approval either. Just yours.”

Peter’s breath left him in a rush as Tony pulled him into his arms.

“My baby boy, this is the hardest decision I’ve ever made. I shouldn’t do this.” Tony muttered into Peter’s ear, his hot breath grazed Peter’s sensitive skin. “I should be the responsible adult and let you go. You deserve better. But I’m so selfish, baby. I just want to be selfish this time. I want you.”

“I’m here, Tony. All for you, only for you. Please, just take what is yours.”

Peter’s voice shook. He sniffed, trying not to cry. He was so happy to hear that.

Tony tilted Peter’s chin up with one hand. And their lips met. Peter’s brain stopped functioning. He couldn’t think about anything but Tony’s warmth. He clenched the man’s shirt in his fist, trying to mimic the movement of Tony’s lips, he failed miserably though. Better let the experienced one take the lead and just melted in his arms. Reveling in the strange sensation of hot, wet lips against his. 

Peter panted, gripping at Tony for balance when the man gave him a moment to breathe. Tony smirked at the sight of knees weak Peter.

“You alright? You’re so red.”

“I…I’m melting. I think I’ll become a puddle soon.”

They laughed softly together, the sound brightened up the room. They stared into each other’s eyes. Peter smiled, seeing his own reflection in Tony’s brown irises. He touched Tony’s face gently, caressing his jawline.

“This is the best birthday gift ever.”

“And you are the only gift I’ve ever wanted, sweetheart.”

Tony answered with a smile, a smile that reached his eyes. He kissed Peter’s cheek, lingered there for a while. His beard tickled the soft skin and Peter giggled. He wrapped his arms around the man’s neck and closed his eyes. Falling into the bliss as Tony claimed his lips again.

Everything was worth the wait. The touch of their hands, their lips, the closeness of their bodies, it all felt so right. Peter wondered how he lived without this for so long. Now that he knew the warmth of his man’s touch, he wouldn’t be able to survive a day without it. And from the passion in the way Tony devoured him. Peter knew his love felt the same.

 

A year, it’s over.

From now on, it’s forever.

 

 

******************************

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sequel --> [In the Hands of Love](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16307435/chapters/38143748)


End file.
